Ms. Goodman has a BA in History & Art History, and a Masters in Library and Information Studies
both from McGill University, and has done graduate work in Jewish history at Concordia
University as part of the MA in Judaic Studies degree program, where she focused Medieval & Modern
Judaism and her thesis focused on American Jewish History & Southern Jewish History, particularly
Jews life during the Civil War. She also has a DCS in Communications, with an emphasis on the
Fine Arts from Vanier College.

Ms. Goodman had contributed to the news sections of Military History and Vietnam Magazines, and was also the former Editor/Features Editor for the History News Network (HNN), and had
worked for HNN from 2004-2010.

ISRAEL MUSINGS ISRAEL MUSINGS: OP-EDS & ARTICLES Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Iran political football in the partisan war By Bonnie K. Goodman Government March 1, 2015 As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarked on his trip to the United States on Sunday, March 1, 2015, Secretary of State John Kerry and Speaker of the House […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS PM Netanyahu’s Remarks Before Leaving for Washington Source: PMO, 3-1-15 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks before departing for the US: “A few days before the Fast of Esther, I am leaving for Washington on a fateful, even historic, mission. I feel that I am […]

ISRAEL MUSINGS ISRAEL MUSINGS: OP-EDS & ARTICLES Obama’s revenge chooses Netanyahu bashing Susan Rice to speak at AIPAC By Bonnie K. Goodman Government February 26, 2015 President Barack Obama has filled his slate of speakers for the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference on March 1-3, 2015 he has decided to send national security […]

ISRAEL MUSINGS ISRAEL MUSINGS: OP-EDS & ARTICLES Netanyahu determined to address Congress about Iran insists not about Obama February 11, 2015 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to debunk to the rumors surrounding his upcoming Joint Address to Congress in a statement to the press and on Twitter on Tuesday, February 10, 2015. Netanyahu wanted […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS President Rivlin eulogizes victims of Paris attack Source: MFA, 1-13-15 MFASummaryNew Regardless of what may be the sick motives of terrorists, it is beholden upon the leaders of Europe to act, and commit to firm measures to return a sense of security and safety to the Jews […]

ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF ISRAEL POLITICAL BRIEF: ISRAEL NEWS Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Remarks at the Funeral of the Four Victims of the Terrorist Attack at the Hyper Cacher in Paris Source: PMO, 1-13-15 יום שלישי כ”ב טבת תשע”ה We see the extent of your grief, the depth of your sorrow. When I embraced you in […]

POLITICAL MUSINGS

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 114TH CONGRESS:

Americans can add another former candidate to the list of potential Republican presidential candidate for the 2016 campaign, on Friday, Jan. 23, 2015 Sarah Palin announced that “Of course” she is interested in running in the 2016 presidential…READ MORE

POLITICAL TRANSCRIPTS

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 113TH CONGRESS:

Sarah Palin’s CPAC 2014 Speech

“How do you convey to Putin the threat that sounds like ‘Vladimir don’t mess around or you’re going to feel my flexibility because I’ve got a phone and I’ve got a pen and I can dial really fast and poke you with my pen — pinkie promise.’”

“I’m probably being too hard on the president. After all, who could’ve seen this coming?”

“Mr. President, the only thing that stops a bad guy with a nuke is a good guy with a nuke.”

“Hey Democrats! It’s your leaders who are demeaning women. Liberals seem to think the women of America are cheap dates.”

“I do believe that the eyes of America are open. Unfortunately though, some would want you to hit the snooze button and roll back over. Like ‘Hush America, go back to sleep little lambs,’ Some of these folks are in the GOP establishment.”

“Thank you, Texas because liberty needs a Congress on Cruz control. The awakening began, and Sen. Ted Cruz helped keep them awake. His filibuster, it worked in waking people up to the folly of a government takeover.”

“He told his colleagues it was time, time to stand up, time to use the tools of the Constitution, the power of the purse and to fulfill their campaign promises and to stop Obamacare. But our army balked. We hoped that they were just reloading, but instead they retreated, and worse, worse, they joined the lapdogs in the lamestream to trash the foot soldiers who had fought for America.”

“I do not like this Uncle Sam. I do not like his healthcare scam. I do not like these dirty crooks or how they lie and cook the books. I do not like when Congress stills. I do not like their crony deals. I do not like the spying man. I do not like ‘Oh yes we can.’ I do not like this spending spree. We’re smart we know there’s nothing free. I do not like reporters’ smug replies when I complain about their lies. I do not like this kind of hope. And we won’t take it, nope, nope, nope. Hat tip the Internet.”

“Run, Sarah, Run!”

“I should, I didn’t get to run this morning. I was so busy. Did some hot yoga and didn’t get to run.”

POLITICAL HEADLINES

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 113TH CONGRESS:

THE HEADLINES….

Sarah Palin Feuds with Alaska Senator on Facebook

A war of words has erupted between former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and the senator she might take on next year: Democrat Mark Begich.

The conflict started Tuesday when Palin told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that she has “considered” a U.S. Senate bid because, “Senator Mark Begich has got to be replaced. He has not done what he had promised to do for the people of Alaska, which is to represent what it is the nation needs in terms of energy development, because he’s on the wrong side of the aisle.”….READ MORE

POLITICAL MUSINGS

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 113TH CONGRESS:

OP-EDS & ARTICLES

On Wednesday, July 10, former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced to Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity on his radio show that she is considering running for an Alaska Senate seat in the… READ MORE

POLITICAL HEADLINES

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 113TH CONGRESS:

THE HEADLINES….

Palin Video Spotlights Sen. Ted Cruz, Prepares for Midterm Elections

In a video released Wednesday by Sarah Palin’s political action committee, SarahPAC, she revved up conservatives and Tea Party Republicans for 2014 with snippets of her Conservative Political Action Conference speech from earlier this month as well as media coverage praising the speech and her string of successful past endorsements.

POLITICAL HEADLINES

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 113TH CONGRESS:

THE HEADLINES….

Sarah Palin Compares Obama to Bernie Madoff, Sips From a Big Gulp and Jokes About Her (Gun) ‘Rack’

On President Barack Obama: He is considered a good politician, which is like saying Bernie Madoff was a good salesmen. The difference being, the president is using our money.

Background checks? Yeah, I guess to learn more about a person’s thinking and associations and intentions. More background checks? Dandy idea, Mr. President — should have started with yours.

On gun ownership:You should have seen what Todd got me for Christmas. Well, It wasn’t that exciting. It was a metal rack, case for hunting rifles to put on the back of a four-wheeler. Then though, I had to get something for him to put in the gun case, right. So, this go around, he’s got the rifle, I got the rack.

On Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s large soda ban: Palin held up a Big Gulp, sipped from a straw and said: Bloomberg is not around, our big gulps are safe. We’re cool. Shoot, it’s just pop with low-cal ice-cubes in it.

On the current state of politics in Washington:We don’t have leadership coming out of Washington, we have reality television.

On young conservatives:My only piece of advice to our young college Republicans is you’ve got to be thinking Sam Adams, not drinking Sam Adams. And that’s just a joke. I don’t want to know hear from the CEO of some brewery accusing me of being an anti beer-ite.

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 113TH CONGRESS:

THE HEADLINES….

CPAC 2013 – Why It Matters, Who’s Going, What We Will Learn From It

Today marks the start of a three-day gathering of conservative leaders and activists from around the country. The Conservative Political Action Conference — CPAC, for short — is organized by the American Conservative Union and has become an annual focal point that brings together establishment figures, new leaders, grassroots types and, in particular, the younger generation of conservatives. It kicks off this morning at the Gaylord National Hotel in National Harbor, Md., just outside Washington, D.C.

WHO’S NOT GOING: The two most-talked-about names who don’t have speaking slots at this year’s CPAC conference are New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (although McDonnell plans to participate in a prayer breakfast associated with the conference on Friday morning)….READ MORE

Katie Couric and Sarah Palin to face off again _ this time in morning television showdown

Nearly four years after they clashed in a memorable TV interview, Sarah Palin and Katie Couric face off again — this time in a morning-show battle royale.Viewers will cast their votes with their clickers Tuesday.

If you’re a Couric fan who misses those bygone mornings on the “Today” show, then click to “Good Morning America,” where Couric, now an ABC star, is subbing all week for co-host Robin Roberts.

But maybe you love the “mama grizzly” panache of Sarah Palin. And maybe you’re still miffed by how Couric, then anchoring the “CBS Evening News,” went to town on Palin during the 2008 presidential race. Then tune into NBC’s “Today,” where, during the 8 a.m. (EDT) hour, Palin will serve as a guest host at Couric’s old haunt. (Take that, Katie!)

Welcoming the former Alaska governor to Studio 1A is the “Today” show’s brashest counter-move after “GMA,” the scrappy ratings runner-up, announced Couric’s fill-in role last week….READ MORE

Sarah Palin a news show ‘co-host’? Rivalry with Katie Couric casts her as one.

Sarah Palin is appearing on ‘Today,’ pitting her against Katie Couric on ‘GMA.’ The ratings ploy evokes memories of the 2008 interview, but raises questions about the moniker ‘co-host.’

As Sarah Palin prepares to go head-to-head with Katie Couric in guest appearances on the NBC and ABC morning news shows Tuesday, a few words are raising eyebrows among news watchers, namely the moniker “co-host” for Ms. Palin.

NBC, promoting the appearance of the former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate on its website, said: “Sarah Palin will co-host Tuesday. She’ll reveal a different side of her than you’ve seen before.”

As a ratings ploy, the gambit has already succeeded, garnering buzz about whether the twin appearances will evoke memories of the infamous Couric/Palin interview on CBS during the 2008 presidential campaign, which many saw as the key turning point in which the McCain/Palin ticket began to slide.

But does this move to slot an openly partisan political figure in the host seat cross some sort of important line for a morning show produced by the network news division?

“A host has the opportunity to steer the conversation,” Ed Arke, associate professor of communications at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa., says via e-mail.

Palin is being billed as a co-host and her openly partisan views could be problematic, he says. But, the larger issue is whether a news magazine like the “Today” show will begin to mimic or mirror the personality-driven discussion shows of the 24/7 news networks, he adds….READ MORE

Comparing Palin vs. Couric as they prepare for epic (or not so epic) battle on Tuesday morning

While it’s not quite Ali vs. Frazier, Tuesday’s faceoff between Katie Couric and Sarah Palin on opposing morning shows has some viewers wishing for a war of words. Here’s a look at how the pair measures up.

Career Highlight:

Couric: Her 15-year run as queen of the morning on the “Today” show.Sarah Palin: Her electrifying speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention marking the national debut of a political powerhouse.Career Lowlight:Couric: Her rocky tenure as the first solo female anchor of the “CBS Evening News.”

HISTORY BUZZ: HISTORY NEWS RECAP

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

HISTORY BUZZ: HISTORY NEWS RECAP

IN FOCUS: GAME CHANGE ON HBO BASED ON MARK HALPERIN & JOHN HEILEMANN BOOK ON THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION & GOP CANDIDATES JOHN MCCAIN & SARAH PALIN

“Hollywood lies are Hollywood lies. The film is based on a false narrative.” Palin told Fox News last week. She said she has no plans to see the film though she did catch the trailer. Her PAC even created its own “trailer” to counteract “Game Change,” dubbing the HBO film “fiction.”

Trying to Train and Contain a Candidate: “Game Change,” an engaging HBO docudrama about Gov. Sarah Palin’s 2008 run for the vice presidency, stars Julianne Moore as the Alaska governor with her eyes on the White House…. – NYT, 3-9-12

‘Game Change’ debuts Saturday, draws criticism from Palin, McCain: HBO’s much anticipated movie adaptation of “Game Change,” the best-selling book by journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann about the 2008 presidential election, airs Saturday night. The film has drawn criticism from two of the major characters…. – WaPo, 3-9-12

Sarah Palin comes unhinged as star rises in ‘Game Change': There is one thing the new HBO movie “Game Change” won’t alter after it airs on television in one week: Sarah Palin still will be loved by many Republican conservatives and loathed by liberal Democrats.
In the controversial new TV movie that aims at a behind-the-scenes portrait of the former U.S. vice presidential candidate, Julianne Moore portrays Sarah Palin as a devoted Republican who lacks basic knowledge of world affairs and careens out of control.
Adapted from parts of the bestselling book of the same name by journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, “Game Change” dramatizes Republican John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and his choice of Palin as a running mate who was shaped into a political star, nearly leading to a nervous breakdown…. – Reuters, 3-2-12

Sarah Palin Takes Shots At HBO’s ‘Game Change': Sarah Palin is firing back at the coming HBO docudrama “Game Change.” The former Alaska governor posted a video called “Game Change We Can Believe In” on YouTube that’s critical of the TV docudrama. The HBO film tells the story of the 2008 presidential campaign, focusing on John McCain’s failed bid for the White House alongside vice-presidential candidate Palin. In Palin’s YouTube parody, she labels the movie “Fact Change” and titles announce “we know the truth.” The clip also features real-life images of Palin that put her in a more positive light. In the movie, Palin is played by actress Julianne Moore…. – WSJ, 3-2-12

‘Game Change’ Screenwriter Responds To Charges That Film Borrowed From Palin Biography: After concluding her debate with now-Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming HBO movie “Game Change,” Sarah Palin tells John McCain’s campaign manager Steve Schmidt why McCain needs to definitely win the 2008 presidential election. “I so don’t want to go back to Alaska,” Palin says.
The line, uttered by actress Julianne Moore, who portrays Palin in the film, echoes a similar one from a book about Palin — but it isn’t “Game Change,” the bestseller by Time’s Mark Halperin and New York magazine’s John Heilemann. Instead, a slight variation of the quote can be found in “Sarah From Alaska,” a book written by political reporters Scott Conroy and Shushannah Walshe, both of whom were embedded with Palin during her two months on the Republican ticket. “I just don’t want to go back to Alaska,” Palin says in “Sarah From Alaska” after the debate…. – Huff Post, 3-7-12

Moviegoers hail Julianne Moore’s Palin: Did DC’s political and media elite find Hollywood’s portrayal of “Game Change” and Sarah Palin fascinating? You betcha. HBO’s “Game Change” had its star-studded — for Washington, at least — premiere Thursday night in the Newseum with some of the town’s … – Politico, 3-9-12

A star is born on ‘Game Change’ named Sarah Palin: A certain segment of the U.S. population will presumably shun “Game Change.’’
As a warts-and-all portrayal of the 2008 campaign of GOP presidential candidate John McCain and his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, this HBO film (premiering Saturday at 9 p.m. EST) has raised suspicions, and hackles, among Palin loyalists. Surely its mission is to trash her, they contend.
Meanwhile, viewers from the other end of the political spectrum will tune in gleefully expecting the same thing: an evisceration of the world’s most famous hockey mom…. – AP, 3-8-12

Palin calls movie fiction Film portrays 2008 campaign: The hotly anticipated HBO movie Game Change airs this weekend just as former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has audaciously reinserted herself into the American political scene, suggesting on so-called Super Tuesday she’d step in to save the Republican party if necessary.
Palin has been complaining bitterly for weeks about the film, which airs Saturday and is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name about the 2008 presidential campaign. She’s demanded HBO add a fiction disclaimer to the movie that portrays her as ill-informed, inept and possibly mentally unstable; the cable giant has refused.
Her political action committee recently released its own two-minute video, a mock movie trailer entitled Game Change We Can Believe In.
It’s a collection of laudatory remarks about Palin by many of the same Republican strategists who later spoke of deep regret for pushing John McCain to tap the young, dynamic Alaska governor as his running mate in a high-stakes gamble to beat Barack Obama…. – Winniped Free Press, 3-9-12

Around the remote: Television picks for the week of March 4-10: “GAME CHANGE” – Like a master illusionist, actress Julianne Moore makes an incredible metamorphosis to become Sarah Palin in this compelling, behind-the-scenes look into John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign…. – Kansas City Star, 3-4-12

HBO’s Game Change shows Sarah Palin out of her depth: There is one thing the new HBO movie Game Change won’t alter after it airs on television in one week: Sarah Palin will still be loved by many US Republican conservatives and loathed by American liberals…. – Ottawa Citizen, 3-3-12

‘Game Change’ and Politics as Reality TV: There’s a great scene toward the end of HBO’s Game Change, the controversial and shamelessly entertaining movie about Sarah Palin and the 2008 presidential campaign, starring Julianne Moore as the Wasilla Windbag. A few of John McCain’s advisers hit … – RollingStone.com, 3-2-12

Game Change: Game Change is based on a small portion of the best-selling book of the same name by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin — the portion that eviscerates John McCain’s selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate in the 2008 presidential campaign…. – Entertainment Weekly, 3-2-12

‘Game Change’ is unlikely to change minds about Sarah Palin: If you like the former vice presidential candidate, you will find the film to be offensive. If not, you are primed to enjoy it…. – USA Today, 3-8-12

Julianne Moore aims for ‘total immersion': The 51-year-old Oscar-nominated actress portrays American politician and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in HBO’s political drama Going Rogue. The film based on the eponymous book by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin follows the 2008 US … – Belfast Telegraph, 3-2-12

Sarah Palin: The big loser in ‘Game Change': Predictably, Sarah Palin emerges as the big loser in HBO’s movie adaptation of “Game Change,” the best-selling book about the 2008 presidential race. The people in charge of the film could have done … – MarketWatch, 3-9-12

Dressing the Part: Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in ‘Game Change': The HBO movie “Game Change” has come under fire by Sarah Palin and her supporters for its characterization of her as a vice presidential candidate who was obstinate, out of her depth and even delusional. One aspect of the portrait that hasn’t been attacked: its costuming.
“It’s a pretty easy thing to be uncontroversial about,” says director Jay Roach, whose team combed through reams of rally footage and rope line photos to source the clothes worn by Palin (played by Julianne Moore), John McCain (Ed Harris) and other members of the Republican team…. – WSJ, 3-9-12

Game Change: No one doubted that Julianne Moore would nail the physical details playing Sarah Palin in Game Change, about the Alaska governor’s astonishing explosion on the political scene in 2008 as John McCain’s running mate. So, yes, she does “the voice,” which … – People Magazine, 3-9-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Sarah Palin casts vote for Gingrich at Alaska caucus

After declining to tell a CNN reporter who she voted for in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Sarah Palin told Fox Business Network Tuesday evening that she had cast a ballot for Newt Gingrich at her caucus site in Wasilla, Alaska. “I have appreciated what he has stood for, stood boldly for,” she said. “He has been the underdog in many of these primary races and these caucuses and I’ve respected what he has stood for…my preference tonight was for the cheerful one.” (Gingrich chose “cheerful” when asked to describe himself in one word at a recent presidential debate.)… Palin also said in the interview that while she will support Romney if he is the nominee, “To be brutally honest…he’s not garnering a lot of that enthusiasm right now” because Republicans are worried he is only winning because he has more money than his rivals.

Stopped after voting by a CNN reporter earlier in the day, Palin would say only that she wanted “to see the process continue.” “I do believe that competition makes all of our candidates better,” she told the cable network. “Remember, there are five men running for president, and I think Barack Obama is the worst choice, is the last choice. So the four in front of him, as they duke it out in the arena of ideas and solutions to propose, the more of that, the better.” The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee also declined to rule out a presidential run in 2016, first telling CNN that “anything in this life, in this world is possible.” “Anything is possible for an American,” she told CNN. “And I don’t discount any idea or plan that at this point isn’t in my control.” Pressed on whether she would seriously consider a run, she said she would “seriously consider whatever I can do to help our country to put things back on the right track.” “Anything that I can do to help, I will be willing to help,” said Palin. Later, when asked if she would enter the 2012 race if there is a contested Republican presidential convention, she replied: “As I say, anything is possible.” “And I don’t close any doors that perhaps would be open out there,” she said. “So, no, I wouldn’t close that door. And my plan is to be at that convention.”…

“It is tough for me to spin out of a question like that when it comes from a Fox reporter,” she said. “If it comes from another reporter, I can spin out of it. Since it came from you, I will tell you, I won’t sound like a politician and I will tell you who I voted for tonight.”

FEATURED HISTORIANS

A brokered convention?

The winnowing process in the Republican presidential nomination race has reduced the field to four candidates — Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich– each of whom has a legitimate rationale to keep going.Mr. Romney continues to have the most money and largest field organization. Mr. Santorum has recent, if modest, primary or caucus successes to sustain him. Mr. Gingrich has his immense ego and a rabid following to drive him on. And Mr. Paul has his own goal of advancing a libertarian strain in the Republican Party quite apart from achieving the nomination, and an idealistic and undaunted youth brigade behind him.

With Mr. Romney failing to gain clear majorities of voters in the contests to date, and with no message that seems to promise a broader constituency, there’s no reason for the other candidates to fold up. The free televised debates, though temporarily in suspension, will resume soon, enabling them to remain visible to millions of voters.

Between now and the next primaries in Arizona and Michigan on Feb. 28, the super-PACs supporting Mr. Romney and Mr. Gingrich can be expected to fire a host of negative advertising at Mr. Santorum. The latest New York Times/CBS News survey has him at 30 percent support to 27 percent for Mr. Romney, 12 percent for Mr. Paul and only 10 percent for Mr. Gingrich.

The former House speaker has been fading so fast that ordinarily a candidate in his straits would be expected to drop out soon. But Mr. Gingrich has vowed to stay in the race into the convention, and a combination of more impressive debate performances and his immense self-assurance could well keep him going.

So what happens if this quartet of presidential wannabes hangs in, with none of them catching fire but each of them picking up a share of the national convention delegates as the process proceeds? With many states allocating them in proportion to the percentage of votes won in the primaries and caucuses, split decisions in many states seem entirely possible….READ MORE

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger to be published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

IN FOCUS: SARAH PALIN WILLING TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT IF ASKED AT A BROKERED REPUBLICAN CONVENTION

“If one of the nominees, one of the GOPers, doesn’t get enough delegates, it could go to a brokered convention. If it does get to that, and someone said, ‘Governor, would you be interested,’ would you be interested?
For one, I think that it could get to that. … If it had to be closed up today, the whole nominating process, then we could be looking at a brokered convention. … Nobody is quite there yet, so I think that months from now, if that is the case, all bets are off as to who it will be, willing to offer up themselves up in their name in service to their country.
I would do whatever I could to help.” — Sarah Palin to Fox Business Network’s Eric Bolling in an interview

Guess Who Made a Surprise Visit to ‘The Five’?: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin drops in on ‘The Five’ and discusses a possible brokered convention in the GOP Presidential race…. – Fox News, 2-16-12

Sarah Palin won’t rule out running: Sarah Palin is keeping the door open for another political run and even offered to “help” should the Republican party fail to pick a presidential nominee by the August convention. “…If it had to be closed up today, the whole nominating … – Boston Herald, 2-16-12

Sarah Palin says she is “game” for another run for office: Fox News analyst Sarah Palin hinted Wednesday that it is not too late for her to get into the Republican presidential contest. Asked in an interview if she would be interested in jumping in the race if there is no clear winner by the time Republicans … – CBS News, 2-16-12

Analysts Say There’s Still Potential for Palin Presidency: The former VP: Former vice presidential candidate and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was hands-down the brightest star at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, bringing attendees to their feet more than any other speaker, including three GOP presidential … – Chicago Tribune, 2-16-12

Sarah Palin: I’d ‘help’ with brokered convention: Former Republican Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday that a brokered Republican presidential convention was a possibility and that if it happened she “would do whatever I could to help.” “If one of the nominees, one of the GOPers…. – Politico, 2-16-12

Palin: GOP nominee will be picked by bosses, not voters: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin says no ‘enthusiasm’ for Republican candidates in presidential race means primaries will likely end with a deal. Would you vote for Sarah Palin if she decided to run?… – New York Daily News, 2-16-12

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, joined by his family, addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington.

“I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism….
I did things conservatism is designed for – I started new businesses and turned around broken ones. And I am not ashamed to say that I was very successful at it.”” — Mitt Romney

“You are blessed to live in a time when America needs you….
Choose the candidate that you believe is the right person to lead this country. Not just to victory, but the changes that are necessary for that victory to be won…
We’re not going to win this election because the Republican candidate has the most money to beat up on their opponent.” — Rick Santorum

“This campaign is a mortal threat to the establishment, because we intend to change Washington, not accommodate it.” — Newt Gingrich

“In America, we believe that competition strengthens us. Competition relates to victory in 2012. We must stay true to our principles. I believe that the competition has got to keep going. But let’s make sure that the competition brings out the best in our party….
We know that the far left and their media allies can’t beat us on the issues, so instead they’ll distort our records. Let’s not do the job for them, OK, Republicans? OK, independents?” — Sarah Palin

At CPAC, Defeating Obama Trumps Fight for Nomination: The focus at the Conservative Political Action Conference was on a victory over the president, not on the battle among the Republican Party’s candidates…. – NYT, 2-12-12

The Candidates Speak at CPAC: Three Republican presidential candidates spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington on Friday. Each candidate delivered a variation of his stump speech and provided his own spin on the forum’s central themes…. – NYT

CPAC: Mitt Romney wins straw poll of conservative activists: Romney was the choice of 38% of the 3408 CPAC attendees who voted in the poll, and Rick Santorum finished second with 31%. Newt Gingrich won 15% and Ron Paul had 12%…. – LAT, 2-11-12

Romney wins presidential straw poll of activists attending CPAC: Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has won a presidential straw poll of activists attending the Conservative Political Action Conference, a key annual gathering of right-leaning Republican activists concluding Saturday in Washington.
Romney defeated Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.), who won the poll the last two years in part because CPAC tends to draw heavily from the college-aged crowd that has offered Paul its most enthusiastic response…. – WaPo, 2-11-12

Live blog of CPAC: Conservatives gather the three day annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that promises speeches from and discussions with leading Republican lawmakers, analysts and pundits…. – Day 1 —Day 2 —Day 3

Mitt Romney rights the ship: Smith Mitt Romney’s win in a widely watched straw poll yesterday could earn the former Massachusetts governor new conservative credentials as he seeks a comeback heading into the Arizona and Michigan primaries from a recent string of losses on … – Boston Herald, 2-11-12

At Conservative Conference, Romney Wins the Straw Poll: Mitt Romney won the annual straw poll of conservative activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, conference officials announced on Saturday in Washington. Mr. Romney received 38 percent of the 3408 votes cast…. – NYT, 2-11-12

In a divided GOP, Romney has a good day: At last year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, activists were chasing the idea that some dreamboat Republican they could fall for – Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, perhaps, or maybe New Jersey Gov…. – Philadelphia Inquirer, 2-11-12

Mitt Romney benefiting from divide among conservatives: The number of votes cast in a straw poll of conservative activists was only a couple thousand fewer than the total at Maine caucuses. But for Mitt Romney, the verdict of attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference may … – LAT, 2-11-12

Romney Calls Himself ‘Severely Conservative’ as Rivals Make Case: Mitt Romney, pushing to retain front-runner status in the Republican presidential race and build credibility with voters who have resisted him, told party activists he was a “severely conservative”… – BusinessWeek, 2-11-12

Romney Tries to Woo Conservatives at CPAC: The former governor held a private meeting alongside the Conservative Public Action Conference with about three dozen evangelical … – NYT, 2-10-12

Palin Says Brokered Convention Would Not Hurt G.O.P.: Sarah Palin said Saturday that Republicans should be in no hurry to wrap up the presidential nominating contest, declaring that a competitive campaign until the August convention in Tampa would not complicate the party’s efforts to defeat President Obama…. – NYT, 2-11-12

At Conservatives’ Event, Palin Aims at President: The focus at the Conservative Political Action Conference was on a victory over the president, not on the battle among the Republican Party’s candidates…. – NYT, 2-11-12

Sarah Palin Rocks CPAC, Embracing a Long Primary: For the first time at the three-day conference known as CPAC in Washington, protesters disrupted a speech. But the response from Palin’s loyal supporters was fierce…. – ABC News, 2-11-12

Rick Santorum Assures Conservatives He Won’t Move to the Center: At a private lunch during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC, Rick Santorum assured 90 national conservative leaders that, if he won the Republican presidential nomination…. – PR Newswire, 2-11-12

Gov. Jindal prepping for national stage: Bobby Jindal of Louisiana addresses activists from America’s political right at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. A rising star within the Republican Party continued to make his …- CBS News, 2-11-12

Gingrich: busy first day in Oval office if elected: Newt Gingrich said Friday that if elected president he will repeal health care and finance reform, end overseas abortion aid, approve a major oil pipeline and move the Israeli embassy to Jerusalem — and that’s just on Day 1…. – AFP, 2-10-12

CPAC: Gingrich says he’ll undo Obama legacy on day one: At the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on Friday, the GOP presidential hopeful said that, if elected, he would wipe out much of President Obama’s legacy on his very first day in office…. – CBS News, 2-10-12

Gingrich Delivers Anti-Establishment Message at CPAC: Speaking to conservatives, Newt Gingrich dismissed his rivals as part of an establishment that wants to “manage the decay” of the country…. – NYT, 2-10-12

Mitch McConnell at CPAC: The Senate Republican leader called the White House staff and allied Democrats in Congress “liberal thugs.”… – NYT, 2-10-12

Rubio Receives Warm Reception at CPAC: In a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, Marco Rubio extolled the promise of America and how it is being threatened by … – NYT, 2-9-12

Bachmann Assails Obama Before Conservatives: Michele Bachmann takes several liberties with the facts in characterizing President Obama’s positions on the Mideast…. – NYT, 2-9-12

POLITICAL HIGHLIGHTS

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger to be published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

OBAMA PRESIDENCY & THE 112TH CONGRESS:

2011 was a year of lowlights in Washington politics

Let’s just W say it – 2011 was an ugly year in U.S. politics. It began in tragedy and ended in farce.

The assassination attempt on Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in January prompted a national discussion about political civility that began with good intentions but lasted, well, until the State of the Union Address.

After that, the divided government Americans voted for in 2010 became dysfunctional government. Here, in no particular order, the highlights and (mostly) lowlights of Washington’s annus horribilis…..

The ‘What Were You Thinking’ Award to a Member of Congress: Anthony Weiner, for tweeting photos of his genitals to a woman, then denying he did it, then admitting he did it, then resigning in disgrace.

Worst Use of Social Media by a Member of Congress: Anthony Weiner. See above.

Most (sadly) entertaining political event: The three-ring circus campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. Without Sarah Palin, Chris Christie or Jeb Bush in the race, GOP voters got a parade of flavourof-the-month front-runners. Mitt Romney is the most unloved potential GOP nominee since, um, John McCain.

Most Embarrassing GOP Candidate Blooper: When Rick ‘Oops’ Perry forgot which three federal departments he would eliminate.

Most Incoherent Quote from a Member of Congress: Democrat Emanuel Cleaver, via Twitter, after the U.S. debt-ceiling agreement. “This deal is a sugar-coated Satan sandwich. If you lift the bun, you will not like what you see.”

Biggest Political Tease: Sarah Palin spent 10 months fuelling speculation about whether she was going to run for president before finally saying no in October. By then, no one was paying attention.

Gutsiest Obama Decision: The raid on Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani compound. If it goes wrong, there’s a lot of dead Navy Seals, and Obama looks like Jimmy Carter after the botched Iran hostage rescue attempt in April 1980. It didn’t.

Saddest Political Trend: Congressional paralysis. Congress brought the government to the brink of shutdown in April. Then, for a second act, lawmakers ignited a global market meltdown with a self-induced debt crisis. In December, small-minded bickering produced one of the worst pieces of kitchen-sink legislation – the two-month payroll tax cut/Keystone XL compromise – Washington has seen in years.

Year in Quotes: White House and Congress

‘The world is safer’

“It’s like lighting the match that could burn down thehouse.”–Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., describing a scenario in which a debt ceiling agreement was not met by May. April, 2011

“It’s not going to get easier, it’s going to get harder. So we might as well do it now. Pull off the Band-Aid. Eat our peas.”–President Obama, in a press conference urging House and Senate leadership to come together to pass a debt ceiling bill. July, 2011

“Get your ass in line. I can’t do this job unless you’re behind me.”–House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to fellow Republicans who were holding out against his debt ceiling deal for one with more spending cuts. July, 2011

“I strongly believe that crossing the aisle for the good of the American people is more important than party politics. I had to be here for this vote. I could not take the chance that my absence could crash our economy.” –Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., after returning to the House chamber to cast her vote for the debt ceiling bill. It was her first appearance to Congress since she was shot in the head in Jan. 8, 2011. August, 2011

“At a time when spending is out of control, giving the federal government more money would be like giving a cocaine addict more cocaine.” –Speaker Boehner, in response to the president’s proposed deficit reduction plan. September, 2011

“After months of hard work and intense deliberations, we have come to the conclusion today that it will not be possible to make any bipartisan agreement available to the public before the committee’sdeadline.”–Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., co-chairs of the debt “supercommittee,” a congressional group tasked with identifying $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction. November, 2011

“The world is safer. It is a better place because of the death of Osama bin Laden.”–President Barack Obama, hours after U.S. forces killed the al-Qaida leader in the middle-of-the-night raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. May, 2011

“All I will say is that for three years the president has been harvesting the successes of the very strategy that he consistently dismissed as a failure. I imagine that this irony was not lost on a few of our troops at Fort Bragg today, most of whom deployed and fought as part of the surge.”–Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., after President Obama marked the end of the Iraq War at Fort Bragg, N.C. December, 2011

“I’m not sure I want to put national, federal resources into trying to figure out who posted a picture on Weiner’s website, uh, whatever. I’m not really sure it rises, no pun intended, to that level.”–Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., as a media storm continued to swirl surrounding a lewd photo sent from his Twitter account to a female college student in Seattle. June, 2011

“There isn’t anything that I can imagine doing after this that would be as demanding, as challenging or rewarding.”–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after indicating she would step down in 2012. March, 2011

A year of oops: five big political gaffes of 2011

There’s nothing like a presidential campaign cycle to bring out big political gaffes – at times injecting doubt about candidates, but also offering some much-needed comic relief and glimpses of humanity. 2011 had some doozies, and some of the most memorable actually weren’t on the campaign trail.

GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, who said the “shot heard round the world” was fired in New Hampshire (correct answer: Massachusetts), nailed the politicians’ dilemma perfectly: “People can make mistakes, and I wish I could be perfect every time I say something, but I can’t.”

Here are five of the biggest political “uh-ohs” of 2011:

1. Anthony Weiner’s bizarre Twitter lesson

In the digital age, sexual missteps no longer even have to be in person, as former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D) of New York proved with “Weinergate” – the tale of a suggestive Twitter photo that led to revelations of other indiscretions….READ MORE

2. Rick Perry: cutting bureaucracy straight out of memory

Don’t you hate that tip-of-the-tongue moment, when that obvious thing you just meant to say vanishes from thought? Now imagine standing on a lit stage in front of millions of your potential voters, bloodthirsty journalists, and a group of people who have vowed to defeat you: This is Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s epic brain freeze at the GOP presidential debate on Nov. 9….READ MORE

3. How Joe Biden sums up the tea party

Vice President Joe Biden denied it to the nth degree, but Politico said it had five sources to confirm its story – that during an offline discussion with House Democrats on Aug. 1, the loquacious Mr. Biden not only agreed with a characterization of tea party voters as “terrorists,” but actually chimed in, saying, “They have acted like terrorists.”…READ MORE

4. Mitt Romney’s hefty bet

“Rick, I’ll tell you what – 10,000 bucks, $10,000 bet,” GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said to Texas Gov. Rick Perry during a Dec. 10 presidential debate. Mr. Romney was arguing that he most surely hadn’t supported an individual mandate as part of national health-care reform – and in the process he wagered enough money to buy a solid gold iPhone case….READ MORE

5. Herman Cain takes a twirl

Book tours, bigwig fundraisers, endless bus rides – when does a candidate just have time to let his mind rest? Preferably not while meeting with a group of newspaper editors who are peppering him with foreign-policy questions….READ MORE

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Sarah Palin: Not Too Late to Jump into Republican Race

Sarah Palin says it’s not too late for someone to jump into the Republican presidential race.

Asked by Fox Business Network’s “Follow the Money” about the likelihood that she’d become a candidate, the former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee said it’s not too late for “folks” to jump in.

Said Palin: “Who knows what will happen in the future.”

The full interview is scheduled for broadcast Monday night.

Palin told Fox News Channel over the weekend that she felt no enthusiasm for anyone in the current GOP field and that she needed to feel something before she would offer an endorsement.

Palin said in October that she wouldn’t seek the GOP nomination. She said she could be more effective helping others get elected.

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

IN FOCUS: SARAH PALIN ANNOUNCES SHE WILL NOT BE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2012

Sarah Palin reportedly says she won’t run for president in 2012: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin said in a statement on Wednesday that she will not seek the GOP nomination for president in 2012, according to media reports.

“After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.” — Sarah Palin Statement

Full Text Campaign Buzz October 5, 2011: Sarah Palin’s Statement on Decision to Not Run for President & Republican Presidential Nomination in 2012 Election (Transcript) — History Musings

Palin Says She’s Not Running: Sarah Palin tells a radio host that she can be more active in trying to oust President Obama if she is not a candidate…. – NYT, 10-5-11

Sarah Palin says she will not run for president: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday she will not run for president, leaving little doubt that the eventual Republican nominee will come from the current field of contenders.
After months of leaving her fans guessing, Palin said in a statement that she and her husband Todd “devote ourselves to God, family and country.” She said her decision maintains that order.
Palin sent the statement to supporters. She told conservative radio host Mark Levin that she would not consider a third party candidacy because it would assure President Barack Obama’s reelection.
In a video posted on Youtube, Palin said, “you don’t need an office or a title to make a difference.”… – AP, 10-5-11

Palin won’t run for president: In a letter to supporters, the 2008 vice presidential nominee took herself out of the running for the Republican nomination. Instead, Palin said she can be more effective helping other Republicans win office as governors…. – USA Today, 10-5-11

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she will not run for president, won’t run for President: Palin said in a statement Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, that she is not running for president … – WaPo, 10-5-11

Sarah Palin says she will not run for president: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday she will not run for president, leaving little doubt that the eventual Republican nominee will come from the current field of contenders. … – Forbes, 10-5-11

Palin Opts Against 2012 Presidential Run: Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Wednesday that she won’t enter the 2012 presidential race, making it all but certain that the current crop of GOP candidates has been set.
In a letter to her supporters, the 2008 vice presidential nominee and Fox News contributor said her decision was based on a “review of what common sense conservatives and independents have accomplished, especially over the last year.”
“I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office — from the nation’s governors to congressional seats and the presidency,” she said.
“I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for president where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables,” she said.
“We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen and allow the private sector to create jobs.”…. – Fox News, 10-5-11

Sarah Palin 2012 decision: Not running: Sarah Palin will not seek the Republican nomination for president. The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee announced the news to conservative radio talk show host Mark Levin and in a letter to supporters Wednesday evening.
“I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States,” she wrote. “As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.”
Asked if she will support the GOP nominee, Palin told Levin: “I have confidence in that. I look forward to supporting our nominee. . The right candidate will be elevated that will be our nominee. We’ll be able to get behind that person and make sure that Barack Obama is replaced.”…. – Politico, 10-5-11

Sarah Palin not running for president: Sarah Palin announced Wednesday evening that she is not going to run for president in 2012. The candidate, who inspired months of speculation regarding a possible presidential bid, announced her decision in an interview Wednesday with conservative radio host Mark Levin.
Levin read a statement from Palin announcing the decision before speaking to the former vice presidential nominee on his show.
In the statement, Palin cited family considerations and said she thought she could be more effective in helping others get elected…. – CBS News, 10-5-11

CAMPAIGN 2012

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

POLITICAL QUOTES & SPEECHES

Sarah Palin’s Statement on 2012 Decision

After much prayer and serious consideration, I have decided that I will not be seeking the 2012 GOP nomination for President of the United States. As always, my family comes first and obviously Todd and I put great consideration into family life before making this decision. When we serve, we devote ourselves to God, family and country. My decision maintains this order.

My decision is based upon a review of what common sense Conservatives and Independents have accomplished, especially over the last year. I believe that at this time I can be more effective in a decisive role to help elect other true public servants to office – from the nation’s governors to Congressional seats and the Presidency. We need to continue to actively and aggressively help those who will stop the “fundamental transformation” of our nation and instead seek the restoration of our greatness, our goodness and our constitutional republic based on the rule of law.

From the bottom of my heart I thank those who have supported me and defended my record throughout the years, and encouraged me to run for President. Know that by working together we can bring this country back – and as I’ve always said, one doesn’t need a title to help do it.

I will continue driving the discussion for freedom and free markets, including in the race for President where our candidates must embrace immediate action toward energy independence through domestic resource developments of conventional energy sources, along with renewables. We must reduce tax burdens and onerous regulations that kill American industry, and our candidates must always push to minimize government to strengthen the economy and allow the private sector to create jobs.

Those will be our priorities so Americans can be confident that a smaller, smarter government that is truly of the people, by the people, and for the people can better serve this most exceptional nation.

In the coming weeks I will help coordinate strategies to assist in replacing the President, re-taking the Senate, and maintaining the House.

Thank you again for all your support. Let’s unite to restore this country!

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger to be published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

Survey: Tea Party Isolated on Climate, But Wide Accord on Most Energy Policies: A new survey shows strong support for energy research across the political spectrum…. – NYT, 9-7-11

In a recent Fox News survey, Bachmann was the choice of a whopping 4 percent of Republican voters. That tied her for fifth place with two candidates who aren’t even running: Rudy Giuliani and Mike Huckabee. She’s only one percentage point ahead of, you guessed it, Newt Gingrich.

Is Michele Bachmann’s campaign in danger?: Her campaign manager, Ed Rollins, and deputy campaign manager, David Polyansky, moved on to other duties over the weekend. Is presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann the new Newt Gingrich?…. – CS Monitor, 9-6-11

Republican Debate 2011: Reagan Library hosts GOP Presidential Candidates (Live Updates): The Republican Candidates Debate at the Reagan Library happens tonight at 8pm. Eight Presidential candidates will square off in a debate co-moderated by John F. Harris of POLITICO and Brian Williams of NBC News. We’ll be updating this page throughout the night with highlights from POLITICO’s coverage and around the web. Also check out our Burns and Haberman live blog and watch the debate livestream…. – Politico, 9-7-11

Live-Blogging the GOP Debate: Texas Gov. Rick Perry makes his debate debut tonight at the Reagan presidential library in Simi Valley, Calif.
The GOP presidential debate is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. EDT, and will be carried live on MSNBC. It will also air later on CNBC and Telemundo.
All eyes are on the Texas governor, who quickly sprinted to the front of the field in just a few short weeks, to see how he answers difficult questions about his past and fends off attacks from his rivals for the nomination. Will the outspoken Texan offer up another of his over-the-top remarks — like calling Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke‘s monetary policy “treasonous” or Social Security “a Ponzi scheme”? Or will he wade into the night with a front-runner’s reserve?
Likewise, will former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney go on the attack after losing his perch atop most national polls? And how will tea-party favorite Rep. Michele Bachmann react now that she is no longer the flavor-of-the-month? And will Rep. Ron Paul and former Sen. Rick Santorum renew their spirited feud from the last debate?
Sparks flew when Republicans gathered in Ames, Iowa, last month, but the race has fundamentally altered since Tim Pawlenty quit the field after a lackluster finish in the Iowa straw poll and Mr. Perry commandeered the spotlight…. – WSJ, 9-7-11

“We created more jobs in the last three months in Texas, than he created in four years in Massachusetts…..
Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt.” — Rick Perry

“Gov. Perry doesn’t believe he created those things, if he tried to say that, well it would be like Al Gore saying he invented the Internet….
As a matter of fact, George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, governor.” — Mitt Romney

“I hate to rain on the parade of the Lone Star governor, but as governor of Utah we were the No. 1 job creator during my years of service.” — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman

“It is a Ponzi scheme to tell our kids that are 25 or 30 years old today, you’re paying into a program that’s going to be there. Anybody that’s for the status quo with Social Security today is involved with a monstrous lie to our kids, and it’s not right.” — — Rick Perry

“Our nominee has to be someone who isn’t committed to abolishing Social Security, but who’s committed to saving Social Security.” — Mitt Romney

“I kind of feel like the piñata here at the party.” — Rick Perry said midway through the debate

FACTBOX-Romney, Perry spar at Republican debate: Republican presidential hopeful Texas Governor Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney sparred over who did a better job at promoting employment in a testy exchange at a debate on Wednesday night.
Since entering the race just weeks ago to unseat Democratic President Barack Obama, Perry has knocked Romney off his front-runner perch and is now leading in the polls…. – Reuters, 9-7-11

Governor Perry comes out swinging at debate: Texas Governor Rick Perry came out swinging in his national debut on Wednesday, all but calling President Barack Obama a liar, describing Social Security as a fraud and attacking his main Republican rival in the presidential race.
Perry, a conservative Tea Party favorite and the Republican front-runner, traded barbs with closest competitor Mitt Romney over who has created more jobs.
Their testy exchange in Perry’s first presidential debate was proof that the fight to determine the 2012 Republican challenger to Democrat Obama is becoming a two-man contest…. – Reuters, 9-7-11

Romney, Perry spar over jobs, Social Security: Eager to tangle, Republican presidential rivals Rick Perry and Mitt Romney sparred vigorously over job creation and Social Security Wednesday night in a lively campaign debate that marked a new turn in the race to pick a 2012 challenger to President Barack Obama…. – AP, 9-7-11

Romney and Perry Clash, Drawing Lines in G.O.P. Sand: The fight for the Republican presidential nomination began narrowing into an intense and ideological battle at a debate here Wednesday night, with Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Mitt Romney sharply clashing over Social Security, health care and each other’s long-term prospect against President Obama.
A series of spirited exchanges between the two men, which revealed differences in substance and style, offered the first extensive look into the months-long contest ahead that will offer Republican voters a starkly different choice. They traded attacks on each other’s job creation records and qualifications to be president, overshadowing their opponents in the crowded Republican field…. – NYT, 9-7-11

Panelists, GOP rivals target Perry from outset of debate: Texas Gov. Rick Perry got a rugged baptism to the Republican presidential race Wednesday as both his opponents and the panelists of a debate here pitched pointed questions to Perry about his 10-year record and views expressed in his 2010 book.
Moderators and candidates gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library made up for lost time, delving into Perry’s “Texas Miracle,” record on the death penalty and skepticism about climate change. By the debate’s conclusion, the back and forth revealed what was turning into a two-candidate race between Perry and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney…. – USA Today, 9-7-11

Front-runner Rick Perry plays the ‘piñata’ at GOP presidential debate: In his first presidential debate since entering the GOP field, Texas Gov. Rick Perry took most of the barbs from his fellow candidates on issues ranging from Social Security to jobs…. – CS Monitor, 9-7-11

Rick Perry shows aggressive style in his first GOP debate: Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a reputation for running aggressive campaigns designed to keep the focus on his opponents rather than himself. In his opening debate as a presidential candidate, he followed that script from start to finish.
Midway through Wednesday’s forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Perry joked, “I kind of feel like a piñata here at the party.” It was an acknowledgement that as the new leader in the polls for the GOP nomination, Perry drew more attacks and more critical questions than any of the other candidates.
But he did as much to stick his rivals as they did to him. He went after the other candidates with relish, whether in response to their criticisms or preemptively. He stood by some of his most controversial statements, including his view that Social Security is a “monstrosity.” At other times, he slipped past questions calling into question his record in Texas.
Many of his exchanges were with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the erstwhile front-runner for the GOP nomination until Perry got into the race last month. That produced a Romney who was more animated than in the first three debates, creating the impression that, for now, the Perry vs. Romney dynamic is the dominant theme of the Republican nomination contest.
Polls have shown that Perry and Romney are well ahead of any of the others in the race. But it took Wednesday’s debate — preceded by questions about Perry’s staying power and preparation for a national race, and about Romney’s ability to respond to a serious Republican rival — to demonstrate that both candidates are ready to battle it out for the foreseeable future…. – WaPo, 9-7-11

Perry clashes with Romney in debate: Gov. Rick Perry tangled often with his chief rival for the Republican presidential nomination Wednesday, clashing with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney over Social Security and jobs in Perry’s first presidential debate.
As the newest entrant to the race and the person sitting atop national polls, Perry was the central character in Wednesday’s nationally televised debate from Ronald Reagan’s presidential library, the first of three such contests this month. Questioners and opponents repeatedly zeroed in on his Texas record, his book and some of the most provocative statements from his young candidacy…. – Austin American-Statesman, 9-7-11

Perry swings, Romney sings, as GOP frontrunners face off in first debate: Rick Perry proved one thing in his first debate appearance since joining the Republican presidential nomination race: He takes no guff.
Despite the “Southern gentleman” veneer in which he occasionally couched his barbs, the Texas Governor shot at nearly anything that moved on stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
He called Social Security, which remains a financial lifeline for millions of seniors, a “Ponzi scheme” and “monstrous lie” visited on younger Americans who will be left holding the bag.
He called Karl Rove, the former George W. Bush adviser who had criticized some of Mr. Perry’s earlier comments as unpresidential, “over the top for a long time.”
“Maybe it’s time to have provocative language in this country,” Mr. Perry retorted after Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Mr. Perry’s chief rival for the nomination, challenged him on his characterization of Social Security…. – Globe & Mail, 9-7-11

Reagan debate reactions come quickly on Twitter: If you’d kept up with Wednesday’s GOP presidential debate only by Twitter, you could have easily thought Mitt Romney and Rick Perry were the only candidates on stage and their other six rivals for the Republican presidential nomination had decided to stay home.
The clash between the two over jobs that kicked off the NBC News/POLITICO debate was an instant Twitter hit, making the phrase “Romney and Perry” a top Twitter trend.
But it didn’t take long for users to grow weary of the back-and-forth between the two rivals standing next to each other on the debate stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif…. – Politico, 9-7-11

PERRY: Well, Governor Romney left the private sector, and he did a great job of creating jobs in the private sector all around the world. But the fact is, when he moved that experience to government, he had one of the lowest job creation rates in the country. So the fact is, while he had a good private-sector record, his public-sector record did not match that. As a matter of fact, we created more jobs in the last three months in Texas than he created in four years in Massachusetts.

WILLIAMS: Well, let’s widen this out and let’s bring in Mr. (Herman) Cain on one side.

ROMNEY: Wait a second. … Listen, wait a second.

WILLIAMS: We could do this all evening.

ROMNEY: States are different. Texas is a great state. Texas has zero income tax. Texas has a right-to-work state, a Republican legislature, a Republican Supreme Court. Texas has a lot of oil and gas in the ground.
Those are wonderful things, but Governor Perry doesn’t believe that he created those things. If he tried to say that, well, it would be like Al Gore saying he invented the Internet.

ROMNEY: Look, the reality is, there are differences. There are differences between states. I came into a state that was in real trouble — a huge budget gap, losing jobs every month. We turned it around. Three out of four years, we had unemployment rate below the national average, we ended up with 4.7 percent unemployment rate. I’m proud of what we were able to do in a tough situation.

PERRY: (Former Massachusetts Governor) Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, Mitt.

ROMNEY: Well, as a matter of fact, George Bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, Governor.

PERRY: That’s not correct.

ROMNEY: Yes, that is correct.

THE HEADLINES: WEEKLY RECAP

Live Blog: Republicans Meet in Florida for Tea Party Debate: Just days after a debate in California, the eight Republican presidential candidates will square off again tonight at a forum in Tampa…. – NYT, 9-12-11

Perry Wears a Bull’s-Eye at G.O.P. Debate: The presidential candidates aggressively confronted Gov. Rick Perry and pressed him to expound upon his views on Social Security and a vaccination program for teenage girls…. – NYT, 9-12-11

As Perry Rises, G.O.P. Elite Look Toward Romney: The rising presidential candidacy of Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is stirring excitement for many Republican voters but is creating unease in some quarters of the party’s establishment…. – NYT, 9-12-11

Jindal to Endorse Perry: Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana has decided to back Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary…. – NYT, 9-12-11

Perry’s Tone on Social Security Takes a Turn: Rick Perry, once highly critical of Social Security, now suggests its long-term viability must be assured…. – NYT, 9-12-11

Florida set for big role in GOP presidential race: Florida is much larger, diverse and expensive than the other four early-voting states, he said, and so it rewards the type of campaigning a Republican must do around the country to oust President Barack Obama in November 2012. … – AP, 9-11-11

Democrats Fret Aloud Over Obama’s Chances: Elected officials and party leaders at all levels said that their concern about President Obama’s vulnerability in 2012 has intensified as the economy has displayed fresh signs of weakness…. – NYT, 9-10-11

Obama campaign sets $55M fundraising goal: President Barack Obama’s campaign team told top donors Friday they hope to raise a combined $55 million during a three-month period ending in late September, warning of an impending fundraising onslaught from Republican presidential hopefuls Rick Perry and Mitt Romney…. – AP, 9-9-11

Romney and Perry Assume Contrasting Republican Brands: The performances of Mitt Romney and Rick Perry at Wednesday’s Republican debate were a kind of lesson in the different paths that might lead to the White House…. – NYT, 9-9-11

Romney and Perry clash over Social Security: A growing divide over Social Security splits the two leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, and the differences between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney foreshadow a tricky political dance with older voters.
Romney has seized on what he perceives as Perry’s vulnerability on a program that seniors hold dear, Democrats venerate as sacrosanct and Perry has labeled a “Ponzi scheme.”… – AP, 9-9-11

Attacking the Democrats, but Not Always Getting It Right: The Republican presidential candidates’ arguments ran into factual hurdles during the debate on Wednesday night…. – NYT, 9-8-11

Electability a Primary Liability for Perry: Gov. Rick Perry’s remarks about Social Security may play into concerns about his appeal to general election voters…. – NYT, 9-8-11

Grist for Left and Right in Perry Immigration Record: As Gov. Rick Perry edges into front-runner status for the Republican presidential nomination, his opponents are trying to plant seeds of doubt about how tough he has been on illegal immigration…. – NYT, 9-8-11

Fresh Off Debate Debut, Perry Turns Down the Heat: Gov. Rick Perry was less critical in his assessment of his Republican rivals the day after they met for a debate, focusing his attacks on President Obama instead…. – NYT, 9-8-11

It’s Romney-Perry now, with plenty of differences: As Rick Perry and Mitt Romney jockey over their ability to defeat President Barack Obama, there are deepening fault lines between the two on Social Security, immigration, jobs and more that could shape the contest…. – AP, 9-8-11

Analysis: GOP debate raises jobs pressure on Obama: President Barack Obama, already under pressure to present a compelling new job-expansion strategy in his nationwide address Thursday, will now feel even more urgency. The California forum Wednesday night covered several topics, but above all it helped … – AP, 9-8-11

GOP rivals gang up on Romney over health care law: The “individual mandate” component of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul is one of its most controversial. At Wednesday night’s Republican debate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Romney’s plan is a bad example for the rest of the nation…. – AP, 9-7-11

Romney and Perry jab at each other on job records: Romney says that as governor of Massachusetts, he oversaw more jobs created in his state than President Barack Obama has overseen nationwide. Perry sniped back that another former Massachusetts governor, Democrat Michael Dukakis, created jobs three … – AP, 9-7-11

GOP debate features first appearance for Perry: Republicans competing for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next fall were taking the stage one day before the incumbent Democrat rolls out a jobs-creation plan. It’s the first of three Republican presidential debates scheduled over…. – AP, 9-7-11

Perry leaves Texas wildfires, heads to GOP debate: President Barack Obama rejected Texas’ request in April for federal aid due to wildfires, but then declared 45 fire-ravaged counties a major disaster in July, after Perry wrote to the White House to appeal the previous decision. … – AP, 9-7-11

Texas wildfires: Is Rick Perry being hypocritical asking for federal aid?: Texas wildfires are forcing Gov. Rick Perry to walk a philosophical tightrope. A strong advocate for a smaller federal government, he’s chiding the Obama administration for not helping more during the Texas wildfires…. – CS Monitor, 9-7-11

Ron Paul versus Rick Perry: Who is Ronald Reagan’s true heir?: Rep. Ron Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have been trading barbs, with both talking about allegiance to Ronald Reagan. Their arguments take a few liberties…. – CS Monitor, 9-7-11

Republicans Debate in California as Race Intensifies: The debate was the first time the Republican contenders shared a stage since Gov. Rick Perry opened his campaign in August…. – NYT, 9-7-11

G.O.P. Hopefuls Vying for Tea Party’s Support: The leading Republican presidential candidates spent Labor Day declaring their fealty to limited government as they strongly criticized President Obama’s economic policies…. – NYT, 9-6-11

Romney unveils economic plan ahead of Obama speech: Romney also accused President Barack Obama of expanding federal regulations. Romney’s new plan calls on government agencies to make sure that new regulations don’t cost money — if a new set of rules raises costs for businesses, Romney would require … – AP, 9-6-11

Mitt Romney jobs plan: Can it create 11 million jobs in four years?: Romney’s plan includes tax cuts, reduced regulation, and an emphasis on expanded free trade. But creating 11 million new jobs would require many things to go just right, economists say…. – CS Monitor, 9-6-11

A Campaign Challenge: Defining Obama: While the president will not directly confront the Republican nominee until 2012, his advisers believe that the next three months are critical to reversing his downward trajectory…. – NYT, 9-6-11

Super PAC Plans Major Primary Campaign for Rick Perry: Make Us Great Again plans to spend as much as $55 million to help Rick Perry win the Republican presidential nomination…. – NYT, 9-6-11

Is Michele Bachmann’s campaign in danger?: Her campaign manager, Ed Rollins, and deputy campaign manager, David Polyansky, moved on to other duties over the weekend. Is presidential hopeful Michele Bachmann the new Newt Gingrich?… – NYT, 9-6-11

Loss of Top Two Aides Raises Questions About Bachmann Campaign: The departure of Ed Rollins and his deputy was seen by some as evidence that Michele Bachmann’s campaign was at a critical juncture…. – NYT, 9-6-11

Pataki Says He Is Content to Be a Noncandidate: The former governor said he had no regrets about deciding not to make a run for president, a notion that some people in the political world had mocked….- NYT, 9-6-11

G.O.P. Hopefuls Vying for Tea Party’s Support: The leading Republican presidential candidates spent Labor Day declaring their fealty to limited government as they strongly criticized President Obama’s economic policies…. – NYT, 9-5-11

Still undecided, Palin rails against Obama: Sarah Palin left open the possibility of a presidential bid Monday afternoon, while encouraging tea party activists to unite against President Obama. And the former Alaska governor praised Republican presidential candidates…. – AP, 9-5-11

Their Optimism Rising, G.O.P. Voters Look for a Winner: In interviews in New Hampshire and Iowa, Republicans expressed a sense of possibility and a longing for a strong conservative leader…. – NYT, 9-5-11

Republican Candidates Turn Attacks on One Another: The Republican field is entering a pivotal stage as candidates increasingly move beyond criticizing President Obama and start to run against each other…. – NYT, 9-4-11

HOUSE — SENATE — GOVERNORSHIPS CANMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS

Democratic US Rep. Baldwin joins Wis. Senate race: Republicans are sure to go after Baldwin’s liberal voting record, hoping to sway independent and moderate voters their way in a state that has swung between handing President Barack Obama a 14-point win in 2008 and kicking Democrats out of power…. – AP, 9-5-11

CAMPAIGN 2012: ANALYSTS &S HISTORIANS COMMENTS

Julian Zelizer: If Obama Is a One-Term President: “I’D rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president,” President Obama confessed to ABC News’ Diane Sawyer last year. Other than the “really good” part, Republicans would be happy to see this wish fulfilled.
With waning approval ratings and a stagnant economy, the possibility that Mr. Obama will not be re-elected has entered the political bloodstream. Suddenly, the opposition party envisions a scenario in which its presidential candidate could defeat Mr. Obama in a referendum on his job performance. Mr. Obama needs to think hard about his own statement and consider what it takes to be a successful one-term president, in the light of history…. – NYT, 9-11-11

Thomas F. Mayer: Historian Says Perry Misses Point on Galileo and Climate Change: “If Perry means to say that at some point some body of scientists said Galileo was wrong, that didn’t happen,” said the historian, Thomas F. Mayer, who teaches at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.
Galileo and Copernicus were long ago proved right, but even in Galileo’s day there were scientists who supported him, Dr. Mayer said. “His notions about science were not that far out there,” he said. “There were a lot of other scientists, especially in Rome, who more or less agreed with his scientific observations.”… – NYT, 9-8-11

LARRY J. SABATO: The 2012 Election Will Come Down to Seven States National polls are nice, but Electoral College math is what matters: Straw polls, real polls, debates, caucuses, primaries—that’s the public side of presidential campaigns 14 months before Election Day. But behind the scenes, strategists for President Obama and his major Republican opponents are already focused like a laser on the Electoral College.
The emerging general election contest gives every sign of being highly competitive, unlike 2008. Of course, things can change: Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were both in trouble at this point in their first terms, and George H.W. Bush still looked safe. Unexpectedly strong economic growth could make Mr. Obama’s re-election path much easier than it currently looks, as could the nomination of a damaged Republican candidate. But a few more weeks like the past couple, and Mr. Obama’s re-election trajectory will resemble Jimmy Carter’s.
Both parties are sensibly planning for a close election. For all the talk about how Hispanics or young people will vote, the private chatter is about a few vital swing states. It’s always the Electoral College math that matters most.
Voting is predictable for well over half the states, so even 14 months out it’s easy to shade in most of the map for November 2012….
Right now, though, a troubled President Obama—so far unopposed for re-nomination—has the luxury of keeping both eyes on the Electoral College, planning his trips and policies accordingly. By contrast, the leading Republican contenders are forced to focus their gaze on delegate votes in a handful of early-voting states such as Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Still, quietly they’re already seeking admission to the only college that can give them the job they want. – WSJ, 9-6-11

It’s hard to remember the last time a time a presidential candidate joined a race relatively this late in the game and made this much of an impact. Part of it is based on Perry’s style, his affinity for Tea Party causes, and his record as governor, in which he boasts of unparalleled job creation and growth. But part of it has always been the fragile status of the previous leader in the polls, Mitt Romney. A former governor of Massachusetts, Romney was thought to have the upper hand because of his fundraising advantage, strong organization and the fact that he had run once before; he was an also-ran in 2008. — Kem Rudin, NPR

The GOP Race Begins Now: Ignore all that other stuff. Yes, we’ve had months and months of non-stop activity by the Republicans who would like to take on President Obama next year. We’ve had a few debates, a bunch of straw polls, campaign finance reports, visits to the early primary and caucus states, some almost candidacies and even a major dropout.
But now the battle for the GOP nomination starts in earnest, beginning this Wednesday with the debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. (sponsored by Politico and NBC News; 8 pm ET)…. – NPR, 9-5-11

POLITICAL SPEECHES & DOCUMENTS

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

POLITICAL QUOTES & SPEECHES

The following is the video and text of Governor Palin’s speech at the “Restoring America” Tea Party of America Rally in Indianola, Iowa, on September 3, 2011.

Jim Young/Reuters Sarah Palin spoke at a Tea Party rally in Indianola, Iowa, on Saturday.

Thank you, Iowa. Thank you so much. The sign that says, “Thank you, Sarah,” no, I thank you. You are what keeps me going, keeps so many of us going. Your love of country keeps us going. Thank you so much. Iowa, you are good people. You are all good people who are here. Thank you.

It is an honor to be in the Heartland sharing this Labor Day weekend with you. And I thank you so much for the invitation, to these organizers who put so much work into all this. It’s so good to see the O4P and C4P people here today. Last night was fun – getting to run into some of you at that restaurant and to see so many different demographics represented and so many different states all across our great nation. We got to gather together last night – different demographics, different political parties even represented – and Todd reminded me as we walked out of that room, he said, “See, we’re not celebrating ‘red America’ or ‘blue America.’ We’re celebrating red, white, and blue America.”

So, what brought us here today out in this field? Why aren’t we catching a Cyclones game, or watching the Hawkeyes perhaps, or grilling up some venison and corn-on-the-cob, maybe some caribou with some friends on this Labor Day weekend? What brought us together is a love of country. And we see that America is hurting. We’re not willing to just sit back and watch her demise through some “fundamental transformation” of the greatest country on earth. We’re here to stop that transformation and to begin the restoration of the country that we love.

We’re here because America is at a tipping point. America faces a crisis. And it’s not a crisis like perhaps a Midwest summer storm – the kind that moves in and hits hard, but then it moves on. No, this kind will relentlessly rage until we do restore all that is free and good and right about America. It’s not just fear of a double dip recession. And it’s not even the shame of a credit downgrade for the first time in U.S. history. It’s deeper than that. This is a systemic crisis due to failed policies and incompetent leadership. And we’re going to speak truth today. It may be hard-hitting, but we’re going to speak truth today because we need to start talking about what hasn’t worked, and we’re going to start talking about what will work for America. We will talk truth.

Now, some of us saw this day coming. It was three years ago on this very day that I spoke at the GOP Convention where I was honored to be able to accept the nomination for vice president that night. And in my speech I asked America: “When the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away….what exactly is [Barack Obama’s] plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish after he’s done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger, and take more of your money, and give you more orders from Washington, and to reduce the strength of America in a dangerous world.” I spoke of this, but back then it was only my words that you had to go by. Now you have seen the proof yourself. Candidate Obama didn’t have a record while he was in office, but President Obama sure does, and that’s why we’re here today.

Candidate Obama pledged to fundamentally transform America. And for all the failures and the broken promises, that’s the one thing he has delivered on. We’ve transformed from a country of hope to one of anxiety. Today, one in five working-age men are out of work. One in seven Americans are on food stamps. Thirty percent of our mortgages are underwater. In parts of Michigan and California, they’re suffering from unemployment numbers that are greater than during the depths of the Great Depression. Barack Obama promised to cut the deficit in half, and instead he turned around and he tripled it. And now our national debt is growing at $3 million a minute. That’s $4.25 billion a day.

President Obama, is this what you call “winning the future”? I call it losing – losing our country and with it the American dream. President Obama, these people – these Americans – feel that “fierce urgency of now.” But do you feel it, sir?

The Tea Party was borne of this urgency. It’s the same sense of urgency that propelled the Sons of Liberty during the Revolution. It’s the same sense of urgency that propelled the Abolitionists before the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement during the 20th Century. The Tea Party Movement is part of this noble American tradition. This movement isn’t simply a political awakening; it’s an American awakening. And it’s coming from ordinary Americans, not the politicos in the Beltway. No, it’s you who grow our food; you run our small businesses; you teach our children; you fight our wars. We are always proud of America. We love our country in good times and in bad, and we never apologize for America.

That is why the far left’s irresponsible and radical policies awakened a sleeping America so that we finally understood what it was that we were about to lose. We were about to lose the blessings of liberty and prosperity. So, the working men and women of this country, you got up off your couch, you came down from the deer stand, you came out of the duck blind, you got off the John Deere, and we took to the streets, and we took to the town halls, and we ended up at the ballot box. And as much as the media wants you to forget this, Tea Party Americans won an electoral victory of historic proportions in November. We the people, we rose up and we rejected the left’s big government agenda. We don’t want it. We can’t afford it. And we are unwilling to pay for it.

That victory, remember friends, was only one step in a long march towards saving our country.

We sent a new class of leaders to D.C., but immediately the permanent political class tried to co-opt them – because the reality is we are governed by a permanent political class, until we change that. They talk endlessly about cutting government spending, and yet they keep spending more. They talk about massive unsustainable debt, and yet they keep incurring more. They spend, they print, they borrow, they spend more, and then they stick us with the bill. Then they pat their own backs, and they claim that they faced and “solved” the debt crisis that they got us in, but when we were humiliated in front of the world with our country’s first credit downgrade, they promptly went on vacation.

No, they don’t feel the same urgency that we do. But why should they? For them business is good; business is very good. Seven of the ten wealthiest counties are suburbs of Washington, D.C. Polls there actually – and usually I say polls, eh, they’re for strippers and cross country skiers – but polls in those parts show that some people there believe that the economy has actually improved. See, there may not be a recession in Georgetown, but there is in the rest of America.

Yeah, the permanent political class – they’re doing just fine. Ever notice how so many of them arrive in Washington, D.C. of modest means and then miraculously throughout the years they end up becoming very, very wealthy? Well, it’s because they derive power and their wealth from their access to our money – to taxpayer dollars. They use it to bail out their friends on Wall Street and their corporate cronies, and to reward campaign contributors, and to buy votes via earmarks. There is so much waste. And there is a name for this: It’s called corporate crony capitalism. This is not the capitalism of free men and free markets, of innovation and hard work and ethics, of sacrifice and of risk. No, this is the capitalism of connections and government bailouts and handouts, of waste and influence peddling and corporate welfare. This is the crony capitalism that destroyed Europe’s economies. It’s the collusion of big government and big business and big finance to the detriment of all the rest – to the little guys. It’s a slap in the face to our small business owners – the true entrepreneurs, the job creators accounting for 70% of the jobs in America, it’s you who own these small businesses, you’re the economic engine, but you don’t grease the wheels of government power.

So, do you want to know why the permanent political class doesn’t really want to cut any spending? Do you want to know why nothing ever really gets done? It’s because there’s nothing in it for them. They’ve got a lot of mouths to feed – a lot of corporate lobbyists and a lot of special interests that are counting on them to keep the good times and the money rolling along.

It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve seen this kind of crony capitalism before. It’s is the same good old boy politics-as-usual that I fought and we defeated in my home state. I took on a corrupt and compromised political class and their backroom dealings with Big Oil. And I can tell you from experience that sudden and relentless reform never sits well with entrenched interests and power-brokers. So, please you must vet a candidate’s record. You must know their ability to successfully reform and actually fix problems that they’re going to claim that they inherited.

Real reform never sits well with the entrenched special interests, and that’s why the true voices of reform are so quickly demonized. Look what they say about you. You are concerned civilized citizens and look what they say about you. And just look what happened during the debt-ceiling debate. We’d been given warning after warning that our credit rating would be downgraded if politicians didn’t get serious about tackling the debt and deficit problem. But instead of making the real cuts that are necessary, they used Enron-like accounting gimmicks, and they promised that if they were just allowed to spend trillions more today, they’d cut billions ten years from now. By some magical thinking, they figured they could run up trillion dollar deficits year after year, yet still somehow avoid the unforgiving mathematics that led to the downgrade. Well, they got a rude awakening from the rest of the world, and that’s that even America isn’t “too big to fail.”

When we finally did get slapped with that inevitable downgraded, the politicians and the pundits turned around and blamed us – independent commonsense conservatives. We got blamed! They called us un-American and terrorists and suicide bombers and…hobbits…couldn’t understand that one.

And what is the President’s answer to this enormous debt problem? It’s just spend more money. Only you can’t call it “spending” now. Now you got to call it “investing.” Don’t call it “spending.” Call it “investing.” It’s kind of like what happens with FEMA and some of these other bureaucratic agencies that don’t really want to refer to our centralized federal government as “government.” Now it’s called the “federal family.” Am I too old to ask to be emancipated? Never thought I’d say it, but I want a divorce.

No, the President’s answer to our debt problem is: Incur more debt. Spend more money (only call it “investing”). Make more folks even more reliant on government to supply their every need. This is the antithesis of the pioneering American spirit that empowered the individual to work, to produce, to be able to thrive and succeed with fulfillment and with pride; and that in turn built our free and hope-filled and proud country.

He wants to “Win The Future” by “investing” more of your hard-earned money in some harebrained ideas like more solar panels and really fast trains. These are things that venture capitalists will tell you are non-starters, yet he wants to do more of them. We’re flat broke, but he thinks these solar panels and really fast trains are going to magically save us. He’s shouting “all aboard Obama’s bullet train to bankruptcy.”

The only future that Barack Obama is trying to win is his own re-election, and he has shown that he’s perfectly willing to mortgage our children’s future to pay for it. And there is proof of this. Just look closely at where all that “green energy” stimulus money is “invested.” See a pattern. The President’s big campaign donors got nice returns for their “investments” in him to the tune of billions of your tax dollars in the form of “green energy” stimulus funds. The technical term for this is “pay-to-play.” Between bailouts for Wall Street cronies and stimulus projects for union bosses’ security and “green energy” giveaways, he took care of his friends. And now they’re on course to raise a billion dollars for his re-election bid so that they can do it all over again. Are you going to let them do it all over again? Are you willing to unite to do all we can to not let them do it again so we can save our country?

Now to be fair, some GOP candidates also raised mammoth amounts of cash, and we need to ask them, too: What, if anything, do their donors expect in return for their “investments”? We need to know this because our country can’t afford more trillion-dollar “thank you” notes to campaign backers. It is an important question, and it cuts to the heart of our problem. And I speak from experience in confronting the corruption and the crony capitalism since starting out in public office 20 years ago. I’ve been out-spent in my campaigns two to one, three to one, five to one. (And, by the way, I don’t play that game either of hiring expert political advisors just so they’ll say something nice about me on TV – if you ever wonder. You know how that game’s played too I’m sure.) But the reason is simple: It’s because like you, I’m not for sale. It’s because we believe in the free market. I believe in the free market, and that is why I detest crony capitalism. And Barack Obama has shown us cronyism on steroids. It will lead to our downfall if we don’t stop it now. It’s a root that grows our economic problems. Our unsustainable debt and our high unemployment numbers and a housing market that’s in the tank and a stagnant economy – these are all symptoms. Politicians are so focused on the symptoms and not the disease. We will not solve our economic problems until we confront the cronyism of our President and our permanent political class.

So, this is why we must remember that the challenge is not simply to replace Obama in 2012. The real challenge is who and what we will replace him with. It’s not enough to just change up the uniform. If we don’t change the team and the game plan, we won’t save our country.

Yes, we need sudden and relentless reform, and that will return power to “We the People.” This, of course, requires deeds, not just words. It’s not good enough for politicians to just be throwing our way some vague generalities, talking about some promises here and there. It’s time that we hold them accountable. It is amazing to me that even some good conservatives run away from being honest and straight up with us about what needs to be done. They don’t want to rock the boat. They can’t hurt future election prospects evidently. They just talk vaguely about cuts and then they move on. They’re too busy saying what they think we want to hear, but instead they should be telling us what needs to be said and what needs to be done. So, let us today in this field have that adult conversation about what needs to be done to restore America. Let’s do that now.

In five days time, our President will gift us with yet another speech. In his next speech he’ll reveal his latest new super-duper “jobs plan.” It will have more lofty goals and flowery rhetoric, more illogical economic fantasies and more continued blame and finger-pointing. But listen closely to what he says. All of his “solutions” will revolve around more of the same – more payoffs for his friends and supporters. His “plan” is the same as it’s always been, and that’s grow more government, increase more debt, take and give more of your hard-earned money to special interests. And this is such a problem. But you know what the problems are. We could go on all day about the problems caused by the status quo in Washington. Status quo I think is Latin for “more of the same mess that we’re in.” That status quo won’t work any more. We could go on all day about the problems, but you know them because you live them everyday. So, let’s talk about real solutions. I want to tell you what my plan is. My plan is a bona-fide pro-working man’s plan, and it deals in reality. It deals in the way that the world really works because we must talk about what really works in order to get America back to work.

My plan is about empowerment: empowerment of our states, empowerment of our entrepreneurs, most importantly empowerment of you – our hardworking individuals – because I have faith, I have trust, I have respect for you.

The way forward is no more politics as usual. We must stop expanding an out-of-control and out-of-touch federal government. This is first: All power not specifically delegated to the federal government by our Constitution is reserved for the states and for we the people. So, let’s enforce the 10th Amendment and devolve powers back locally where the Founders intended them to be.

Second, what happened to all those promises about staying committed to repealing the mother of all big government unfunded mandates? We must repeal Obamacare! And rein in burdensome regulations that are a boot on our neck. Get government out of the way. Let the private sector breathe and grow. This will allow the confidence that businesses need in order to expand and hire more people.

Third, no more run away debt. We must prioritize and cut. Cancel unused stimulus funds, and have that come to Jesus moment where we own up to the debt challenge that is entitlement reform. See, the reality is we will have entitlement reform; it’s just a matter of how we’re going to get there. We either do it ourselves or the world’s capital markets are going to shove it down our throats, and we’ll have no choice but to reform our entitlement programs. The status quo is no longer an option. Entitlement reform is our duty now, and it must be done in a way that honors our commitment to our esteemed elders today, while keeping faith with future generations. I don’t think anything has irked me more than this nonsense coming from the White House about maybe not sending our seniors their checks. It’s their money! They have paid into Social Security all of their working lives; and for the President to say, “ah, we may not be able to cut their checks,” ah, well, where did all their money go, politicians? It’s like the Commander-in-Chief being willing to throw our military under the bus by threatening that their paychecks may not arrive. But the politicians will still get their checks and their secure retirements, and he’ll still get his posh vacations. Aren’t you just sick to death of those skewed priorities? It’s all backwards. Our seniors and our brave men and women in uniform being used as pawns – I say it’s shameful, and enough is enough. No more.

Fourth, it is time for America to become the energy superpower. The real stimulus that we’ve been waiting for is robust and responsible domestic energy production. We have the resources. Affordable and secure energy is the key to any thriving economy, and it must be our foundation. So, I would do the opposite of Obama’s manipulation of U.S. supplies of energy. Drill here, drill now. Let the refineries and the pipelines be built. Stop kowtowing to foreign countries and dictators asking them to ramp up production and industry for us, promising them that we’ll be their greatest customer. No, not when we have the resources here. We need to move on tapping our own God-given natural resources. I promise you that this will bring real job growth, not the politicians’ phony “green jobs” fairy dust sprinkled with wishes and glitter… No, a hardcore all-of-the-above energy policy that builds this indestructible link between made-in-America energy and our prosperity and our security. You know, there are enough large conventional natural resource development projects waiting for government approval that could potentially create more than a million high-paying jobs all across the country. And this is true stimulus. It wouldn’t cost government a dime to allow the private sector to do these. In fact, these projects will generate billions of dollars in revenue. Can you imagine that: a stimulus project that actually helps dig us out of debt instead of digging us further into it! And these are good-paying jobs, and I know that from experience. For years my own family was supported (as Todd worked up on the North Slope) by a good energy sector job. America’s economic revival starts with America’s energy revival.

Fifth, we can and we will make America the most attractive country on earth to do business in. Here’s how we’re going to do this. Right now, we have the highest federal corporate income tax rate in the industrialized world. Did you know our rates are higher than China and communist Cuba? This doesn’t generate as much revenue as you would think, though, because many big corporations skirt federal taxes because they have the friends in D.C. who right the rules for the rest of us. This makes us less competitive and restrains our engine of prosperity. Heck, some businesses spend more time trying to figure out how to hide their profits than they do in generating more profits so that they can expand and hire more of us. So, to make America the most attractive and competitive place to do business, to set up shop here and hire people here, to attract capital from all over the globe that will lead to an explosion of growth, instead of chasing industry offshore, I propose to eliminate all federal corporate income tax. And hear me out on this. This is how we create millions of high-paying jobs. This is how we increase opportunity and prosperity for all.

But here’s the best part: To balance out any loss of federal revenue from this tax cut, we eliminate corporate welfare and all the loopholes and we eliminate bailouts. This is how we break the back of crony capitalism because it feeds off corporate welfare, which is just socialism for the very rich. We can change all of that. The message then to job-creating corporations is: We’ll unshackle you from the world’s highest federal corporate income tax rate, but you will stand or fall on your own, just like all the rest of us out on main street.

See, when we empower the job-creators, our economy will soar; Americans will get back to work.

This plan is a first step in a long march towards fundamental restoration of a strong and free market economy. And it represents the kind of real reform that we need. And, folks, it must come from you. It must come from the American people. Real hope is in you. It’s not that hopey-changey “stuff” that we heard about back in 2008. We’ve all learned that. And real hope isn’t in an individual. It’s not in a politician certainly. And that hopey-changey stuff that was put in an individual back when Barack Obama was a candidate – that hopey-changey stuff didn’t create one job in August, did it? That’s the first time that’s happened in the United States since World War II. Real hope comes from you. Real hope comes from realizing that we the people can make the difference. And you don’t need a title to make a difference. We can get this country back on the right track. We can do it by empowering the people and realizing that God has richly blessed this most exceptional nation, and then we do something about that realization.

Don’t wait for the permanent political class to reform anything for you. They won’t. They can’t. They can’t even take responsibility for their own actions. Our credit is downgraded, but it’s not their fault. Our economy’s in turmoil, but it’s not his fault. It’s the tsunami in Japan or the Middle East uprising. It’s Irene. It’s those doggone ATM machines.

Folks, the truth is Barack Obama is adrift with no plan because his “fundamental transformation” is at odds with everything that made this country great. It doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t make sense. Unbelievably our President declares that he “believes in American Exceptionalism… just as the Greeks believe in Greek Exceptionalism.” Well, the path he has us on will make us just as “exceptional” as Greece, alright – with the debt crisis and the stagnation and the unemployment and uprisings and all.

Friends, you are better than that. Our country is better than that. We’ve got to unite. We’ve got to stand together. We can confront the problem and we can achieve lasting reform. And I can tell you from hard-earned experience with bumps and bruises along the way, that the road ahead is not easy. You will be demonized. They’ll mock you. They’ll make things up. They’ll tell you to “go to hell.” But we’ll bite our tongue, we’ll keep it classy, and we won’t respond—as tempting as it is—to anyone who just has such disdain for our free market economy and for individual initiative and responsibility. We won’t say, “No, you go to hell.” No, we won’t say that. You know why we don’t have to say that? Because when we have time-tested truth and logic on our side, we win. And when we refuse to retreat because we know that our children’s future is at stake, we win.

No, the road isn’t easy, but it’s nothing compared to the suffering and sacrifice of those who came before us.

A few weeks ago, after my visit to the Iowa State Fair, I took my daughter Piper and my niece McKinley with us to the World War I Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. And standing in the rain, reading the inscriptions on the Memorial about the honor in one’s dedication to God and country, I thought of all those young patriots who suffered and died so far from home. And revering our vets there with the next generation by my side, there was such clarity – clarity in our calling, patriotic Constitutionalists. We have a duty not just to the living, but also to those who came and died before us and to the generations yet to be born. Our freedom was purchased by millions of men now long-forgotten throughout history who charged the bayonets, and they charged the cannons; they knew they were going to die, but it was worth it for them sacrificing for future generations’ freedom. They’re the ones who prayed in the trenches and suffered in the P.O.W. camps. They gave their lives so that we could be here today.

You and I are blessed to be “born the heirs of freedom.” As President John F. Kennedy said, “We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution.” We are the heirs of those who froze with Washington at Valley Forge and who held the line at Gettysburg, who freed the slaves to close a shameful chapter, and who carved a nation out of the wilderness. We are the sons and daughters of those who stormed the beaches of Normandy and raised the flag at Iwo Jima and made America the strongest, the most prosperous, the greatest nation on earth forever in mankind’s history – the greatest, most exceptional nation.

America, we will always endure. We will always come through. We will never give up. We shall endure because we live by that moral strength that we call grace. Because though we’ve often skirted a precipice, a Providential Hand has always guided us to a better future. So, let us seek that Hand once more. Our Ronald Reagan said, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, we will be a nation gone under.” Yes, He shed his grace on thee, America! We will not squander what we have been given! We will fight for freedom. We will fight for America. We are at the tipping point. United we must stand. And we shall nobly save, not meanly lose, this last best hope on earth.

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger to be published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Jim Young/Reuters Sarah Palin spoke at a Tea Party rally in Indianola, Iowa, on Saturday.

“At the end of the day, the rules usually prevail. I don’t know any candidate that makes the race into the one they want. Once she gets in, she becomes like every other candidate.” — Former New Hampshire Atty. Gen. Tom Rath, a Mitt Romney advisor

“I don’t think she would burrow in in any one state. The one thing about Sarah Palin which is impressive is she does it her way. She doesn’t follow orthodoxy. I think she is a much more gifted politician than people give her credit for.” — A close advisor to a top-tier Republican candidate

“I think she’s still a star. If you look at what’s happened in this race so far, you’ve had a series of candidates show up on the stage relatively unknown outside their home states and catapult to the top, so that leads me to think there is room for somebody else.” — Sara Fagen, who was political director for President George W. Bush

Palin and a real presidential run: Strategists say she could be a force in the race, at least initially, but polls suggest her indecisiveness may have turned off many Republican voters… – LAT, 9-3-11

“Republicans have to nominate someone better than the person they want to defeat. If they get so adamant that they will only support a candidate that believes everything on their checklist, they will re-elect Obama.” — Mike Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and a 2008 Republican presidential hopeful.

IN FOCUS: SARAH PALIN ADDRESSES IOWA TEA PARTY RALLY

Just look what happened during the debt-ceiling debate. We’d been given warning after warning that our credit rating would be downgraded if politicians didn’t get serious about tackling the debt and deficit problem. But instead of making the real cuts that are necessary, they used Enron-like accounting gimmicks, and they promised that if they were just allowed to spend trillions more today, they’d cut billions ten years from now. By some magical thinking, they figured they could run up trillion dollar deficits year after year, yet still somehow avoid the unforgiving mathematics that led to the downgrade. Well, they got a rude awakening from the rest of the world, and that’s that even America isn’t “too big to fail.”
When we finally did get slapped with that inevitable downgraded, the politicians and the pundits turned around and blamed us – independent commonsense conservatives. We got blamed! They called us un-American and terrorists and suicide bombers and…hobbits…couldn’t understand that one.
And what is the President’s answer to this enormous debt problem? It’s just spend more money. Only you can’t call it “spending” now. Now you got to call it “investing.” Don’t call it “spending.” Call it “investing.” It’s kind of like what happens with FEMA and some of these other bureaucratic agencies that don’t really want to refer to our centralized federal government as “government.” Now it’s called the “federal family.” Am I too old to ask to be emancipated? Never thought I’d say it, but I want a divorce. — Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

Palin Rails Against ‘Crony Capitalism’ and ‘Career Politicians': Sarah Palin did not say whether she would seek the Republican presidential nomination, but she made clear during a speech here on Saturday that she has no intentions of simply falling into line behind one of the party’s leading candidates. At times she sounded like a candidate. At times she did not.
But in a 40-minute speech before a Tea Party rally here, which was one of her most expansive addresses since she accepted the Republican vice presidential nomination three years ago, she railed against “crony capitalism” in both parties. She suggested that the “permanent political class” — Republicans, too — needed to be rattled…. – NYT, 9-3-11

Palin Appearance in Iowa Leaves Supporters Exhorting Her to Run: Sarah Palin, looking and sounding like a presidential candidate at a Tea Party rally in Iowa, left chanting supporters without saying if she will make a run for the White House next year. … – Bloomberg, 9-3-11

“There is a name for this. It’s called corporate crony capitalism. It’s not the capitalism of free men and free markets, of innovation and hard work and ethics, of sacrifice and of risk. No, this is the capitalism of connections and government bailouts and handouts . . . and influence peddling and corporate welfare.” — Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin, in Iowa, attacks Obama and ‘crony capitalism': Sarah Palin delivered a populist broadside here Saturday against President Obama, the entire political establishment and what she called the “crony capitalism” that she said is destroying the country. But she offered no fresh clues about whether she will seek the presidency in 2012.
Casting herself as the ultimate outsider, the former Alaska governor used a tea party rally to chastise the president and a “permanent political class” that she said has protected their powers and enriched them, their friends and their contributors at the expense of ordinary Americans and the country’s well-being….
Palin has said she will announce by the end of this month whether she will join the race for the White House in 2012. On Friday night, she told reporters “there’s room for more” candidates in the GOP field and when she arrived to greet supporters at a local restaurant, she was greeted with chants of “Run, Sarah, run.”… – WaPo, 9-3-11

Sarah Palin speaks like a candidate but keeps them guessing: Appearing in Iowa, she lambastes ‘crony capitalism,’ President Obama and career politicians but insists she hasn’t decided whether to seek the Republican nomination…. – LAT, 9-3-11

Palin still undecided on White House run: Alaska Republican Sarah Palin is still pondering whether to seek the White House, she said in a brief interview this afternoon. Palin didn’t say anything definitive in a 40-minute speech in Iowa today.
When The Des Moines Register caught up with her at the rope line afterward, she shrugged when asked if late September is still a good timeline for a decision one way or the other.
“I’m still not ready to make any kind of an announcement,” Palin said as she signed a handgun for an NRA benefit with a silver paint marker. “I’m still trying to figure it out, if it’s the right thing to do.”
In her speech, Palin said the challenge is not simply to replace President Barack Obama in 2012, “it’s who and what we will replace him with,” a feisty Sarah Palin told a crowd in Iowa this afternoon…. – USA Today, 9-3-11

Palin: Words against Obama, mum on her plans: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin had a lot to say today about America’s future under Barack Obama, but little about her own.
Cheers of “Run, Sarah, run” greeted Palin at a Tea Party rally in Indianola, Iowa Saturday, but in her speech the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee didn’t give any indication whether she’s going to jump into the 2012 presidential race.
Palin has kept Republicans guessing for months whether she would enter the race; many expect no decision from her until late September…. – CBS News, 9-4-11

“Folks, you know that it’s not enough to just change up the uniform. If we don’t change the team and the game plan we won’t save our country.” — Srah Palin

Over 2000 gather on rainy Saturday to see Palin: Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin blasted the country’s “permanent political class” and their “crony capitalism” — and while Palin did not use this afternoon’s speech in Iowa to jump into the presidential race herself, she did warn voters to survey the rhetoric and records of the current 2012 president candidates of her own party.
Palin spoke for 40 minutes and spent a good chunk of her address outlining what she said were her own “real solutions” to the country’s economic problems. “My plan is a bona fide pro-workin’ man’s plan and it deals in reality,” she said. “It deals in the way the world really works.”… – Radio Iowa, 9-3-11

Palin positions herself as populist outsider in Iowa speech: Sarah Palin took sharp aim at President Barack Obama and at least one of her potential Republican rivals Saturday at a rain-soaked tea party rally in Iowa, the state that will open the GOP nomination fight early next year. … – CNN, 9-3-11

Palin has harsh words for Obama to tea party crowd: Cheers of “Run Sarah, Run” greeted Sarah Palin at a tea party rally in Iowa, but the former Alaska governor still isn’t saying whether she’s going to jump into the 2012 presidential race. … – Forbes, 9-3-11

Sarah Palin slams Republicans, Obama in Iowa speech: Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin kept political pundits guessing Saturday, delivering a fiery speech to supporters in which she took direct aim at President Obama and Capitol Hill lawmakers…. – The State Column, 9-3-11

“I’m happy with the field of candidates. I think that there’s room for more, though, because a spirited debate and more competition will allow for an even better discourse and a more rigorous discourse that the public deserves.” — Sarah Palin

Palin Says ‘There’s Room for More': Sarah Palin arrived here on Friday evening to greet passionate supporters who traveled from across Iowa and the around the nation to hear her deliver a weekend speech that could offer an indication of whether she intends to join the Republican presidential race…. – NYT, 9-4-11

THE HEADLINES: WEEKLY RECAP

Republican Candidates Turn Attacks on One Another: The Republican field is entering a pivotal stage as candidates increasingly move beyond criticizing President Obama and start to run against each other…. – NYT, 9-4-11

“The tea party isn’t a diversion from mainstream Republican thought. It is within mainstream Republican thought…. I haven’t spent my whole life in politics,. As a matter of fact, of the people running for office, I don’t know that there are many that have less years in politics than me.” — Mitt Romney

Tea party forcefully shaping 2012 GOP race: The tea party is forcefully shaping the race for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination as candidates parrot the movement’s language and promote its agenda while jostling to win its favor.
That’s much to the delight of Democrats who are working to paint the tea party and the eventual Republican nominee as extreme…. – AP, 9-4-11

Tough economic climate as Obama seeks 2nd term: President Barack Obama faces a long re-election campaign having all but given up on the economy rebounding in any meaningful way before November 2012. His own budget office predicts unemployment will stay at about 9 percent…. – AP, 9-4-11

Politicians “typically don’t take strong positions. They are largely biographical and usually not specific at all. It is unusual”but we are in an unusual moment.” — Adam Bellow, editorial director of Broadside Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers, who edited Sarah Palin’s two books

“No one can argue that Social Security isn’t broken. The goal was to put these issues on the table and ensure they’re addressed.” — Campaign spokesman Mark Miner

“Like a bad disease. By far the best example of this is Social Security.” The program “is something we have been forced to accept for more than 70 years now.” — Rick Perry in “Fed Up!” on how New Deal-era initiatives have spread

Perry’s fiery ‘Fed Up!’ may come back to haunt him: Maybe Rick Perry’s not so “Fed Up!” after all. Just nine months ago, the Texas governor released a rhetorical bomb-throwing book under that title. He dismissed Social Security as a New Deal relic that smacked of socialism. He said states’ rights trump all else. He suggested that the Supreme Court’s nine unelected “oligarchs in robes” could have their rulings overturned by two-thirds votes in both houses of Congress.
Now that the Republican is running for president, his campaign has begun distancing itself from some of the candidate’s own words on issues such as Social Security and states’ rights.
Pulling back won’t be easy because “Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America From Washington” is anything but the nuanced list of general positions that fills the pages of most presidential candidates’ books…. – AP, 9-3-11

Perry’s fiery ‘Fed Up!’ may come back to haunt him: A vote for such a candidate in a primary would be seen as a vote for Obama in the general.” Already, Perry has pulled back from his unequivocal position on states’ rights. In “Fed Up!” he writes, “If you don’t support the death penalty and citizens … – AP, 9-3-11

Perry’s Book Gives Rivals Ammunition: In a book he wrote less than a year ago, Rick Perry calls Social Security a “failure” that should never have been enacted…. – NYT, 9-3-11

On the Trail in New Hampshire, Perry Focuses on Jobs: In a speech at a campaign stop Saturday afternoon, Mr. Perry said he personally would save the country by limiting the role of the federal government and by creating jobs…. – NYT, 9-3-11

Palin Rails Against ‘Crony Capitalism’ and ‘Career Politicians': On Saturday, Sarah Palin did not say whether she would seek the Republican presidential nomination, but she made clear that she has no intentions of simply falling into line behind one of the party’s leading candidates…. – NYT, 9-3-11

Sarah Palin wows a tea party crowd in Iowa. But will she run?: In a rain-dampened Iowa field Saturday, Sarah Palin titillated the tea party faithful who chanted “Run, Sarah, Run.” She gave a full-throated presidential stump speech, even if there is as yet no official stump…. – CS Monitor, 9-3-11

Perry’s Blunt Views in Books Get New Scrutiny as He Joins Race: When Rick Perry, the governor of Texas and a presidential hopeful, debates his rivals, his assertions on climate change, Social Security and health care could put him to the test…. – NYT, 9-3-11

As race ramps up, GOP asks if Perry can stay atop: The Republican race for the White House is about to accelerate dramatically, with a series of debates and events testing whether Rick Perry has staying power and Mitt Romney can keep focusing on the president instead of his GOP rivals.
September also may settle the field for good, with Sarah Palin perhaps deciding at last whether to run…. – AP, 9-3-11

“For the Democratic party to be defined by race means that it’s politically marginalized.” — Merle Black, an Emory University political science professor and author of “The Rise of Southern Republicans.”

Is Election 2012 the GOP’s to lose? What Obama could do: President Obama could face reelection at a time of 9 percent unemployment. But Election 2012 is not a slam dunk for the GOP, analysts say. Obama has ways to counter the bad news…. – CS Monitor, 9-3-11

New district puts Southern white Dem in tough spot: Can white Democrats chart a course back in the Deep South — Georgia, Mississippi. Alabama, Louisiana and South Carolina — where they were once as plentiful as sweet tea on a hot summer day? Or will the party that once dominated the Bible Belt become reliant almost exclusively on black urban voters, leaving the region even more racially polarized?…. – AP, 9-3-11

Palin Says ‘There’s Room for More': The former Alaska governor is traveling in Iowa and New Hampshire this weekend, but is not expected to make her campaign intentions clear until the month’s end…. – NYT, 9-2-11

Palin greets supporters at Iowa restaurant: Sarah Palin made a surprise appearance at a suburban Des Moines restaurant Friday evening on the eve of a speech in the leadoff caucus state that is being closely watched for signals of whether she plans to run for president.
The former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican nominee for vice president was greeted at the Iowa Machine Shed restaurant Friday night with chants of “Run, Sarah, run!” as she made her way through hundreds of fans…. – AP, 9-2-11

Facing voter discontent, lawmakers skip town halls: According to CQ-Roll Call, which kept a count, lawmakers held just over 500 town halls this summer compared to more than 650 in 2009 when the rancor over President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul turned some events into shouting matches. … – AP, 9- 2-11

“He’s the anti-circus, anti-carnival candidate.” — John Weaver, Huntsman’s senior strategist, said of the newfound strategy.

Struggling Huntsman tries to turn around bid: Meet Jon Huntsman — Mr. Mainstream. It’s been downhill since the day he announced his White House candidacy. His official presidential coming-out tour was riddled with mistakes, and he’s faced campaign staff turnover. With some moderate views, he has struggled to gain traction with a GOP primary electorate pushed to the right by the tea party. And he’s lost ground in some national polls, eclipsed by Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann. Now Huntsman’s trying to turn it all around — by painting his opponents as extreme…. – AP, 9-2-11

“What America needs and what I know have come together. I spent my life in business — 25 years in business.” — Mitt Romney

“My actions as governor are helping create jobs in this country.” — Gov. Rick Perry, who spent the last decade as Texas’ chief executive.

Romney, Perry wage GOP fight over business records: This intensifying debate between the two over public- and private-sector credentials will help define a GOP nomination fight focused squarely on the economy. The next president — whether it’s President Barack Obama or any number of Republicans trying to unseat him — will be saddled with high unemployment and asked to draw upon his or her job-creation skills on Day One…. – AP, 9-2-11

Arizona’s G.O.P. Primary Stays Put, for Now: Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona decided not to move up her state’s Republican primary, which would have set up a flurry of other changes in the nominating calendar…. – NYT, 9-2-11

What’s Sarah Palin going to say in her big speech on Saturday?: Indications are that Sarah Palin will sound increasingly like a presidential candidate at the Iowa tea party rally, with barbs aimed at both GOP rivals and Obama. But a formal declaration is apparently not in the offing…. – CS Monitor, 9-2-11

Perry hopes polling surge spurs donors nationally: The test will be whether Perry can transform his lead in some opinion polls into cash — and whether his fundraising skills can compete with Romney, who raised $10 million in one day earlier in the year, or ultimately President Barack Obama…. – AP, 9-2-11

“The president will come forward with a specific proposal that by any objective measure would add to growth and job creation in the short term.” — White House spokesman Jay Carney

$1.3T deficit projected as economy cools: The White House on Thursday predicted that unemployment will remain at 9 percent next year, a gloomy scenario for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign….
The economy promises to be the leading-edge issue of the 2012 White House sweepstakes, and Obama already is facing a host of Republican rivals challenging his financial policies. No president in modern times has won re-election with unemployment as high as 9 percent, and Obama’s poll numbers have suffered in recent weeks amid a steady drumbeat of bad economic news. – AP, 9-1-11

“I am not going to become an obstacle for this party. I am tendering my resignation.” — Jack Kimball

New Hampshire’s Republican state chairman resigns: The chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party has resigned. Just minutes before the state’s GOP leaders were expected to remove him, Jack Kimball told a packed room of opponents and sign-waving supporters that he was stepping down after just seven months on the job…. – AP, 9-1-11

Huntsman Urges Stripping Deductions From Tax Code: Seeking to gain traction in the Republican presidential race, Jon M. Huntsman Jr. called for the tax code to be stripped of all loopholes and deductions…. – NYT, 9-1-11

“I want to put you on notice. We’re going to win this state. We’re going to win this primary.” — Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman at the popular Politics and Eggs discussion series

Huntsman sets high expectations amid turbulence: Brushing off bad poll numbers, presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman on Thursday predicted that he’ll win New Hampshire’s Republican primary — even as he acknowledged that his campaign manager for the state had been fired…. – AP, 9-1-11

Bachmann draws Thatcher foreign policy comparison: Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann is harkening back to a past woman world leader with firm resolve — former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher — as she tries to convince American veterans that she would make a strong commander in chief. Bachmann shed led light Thursday on her foreign policy views in a speech to the American Legion’s national convention, in her home state of Minnesota. President Barack Obama addressed the convention earlier in the week.
Bachmann says the world needs to know America has a “strong leader” like Thatcher and her contemporary President Ronald Reagan. She says it would show that the United States won’t “conduct our foreign policy apologetically, such as leading from behind.”… – AP, 9-1-11

A Deep Faith in What’s Been Proved: As the presidential campaign begins to heat up, the empirical worldview that Barack Obama embodies is taking a beating…. – NYT, 9-1-11

“America is waiting for the president to make good on this promise,” the former Alaska governor recently posted on Twitter, linking to a video of President Barack Obama pledging to run a transparent government. She set up Saturday’s scheduled visit to Iowa with, “I’ll be talking about this and more.”

Palin fuels presidential fire, but at what cost?: Sarah Palin soon will end the will-she-or-won’t-she presidential speculation that has trailed her for two years — and that she has fueled with abandon, perhaps to the detriment of her potential candidacy…. – AP, 9-1-11

“They want to bring it back into the United States and create jobs here in Iowa, all across the country,” . “Wouldn’t the smartest thing to do be to say to all of these companies, ‘Zero repatriation tax?’ ” — Rep. Michele Bachmann while appearing at a tea party rally in Des Moines

Tea Party Groups to Protest Romney in N.H.: Mitt Romney’s candidacy has exposed divisions within the Tea Party, especially in New Hampshire, where some groups plan to protest his speech in Concord on Sunday…. – NYT, 8-31-11

Mitt Romney’s tough call: Court the tea party to counter Perry surge?: With presidential hopeful Rick Perry now leading polls of GOP voters by double digits, Mitt Romney is having to pivot toward the tea party, which is not his natural constituency…. – CS Monitor, 8-31-11

Will Arizona Scramble the Republican Primary Calendar?: One of the looming questions for the Republican presidential candidates is this: When will the voting actually begin?…. – NYT, 8-31-11

Caucus Video: Job Plans Aplenty From 2012 Candidates; the Debt Committee Begins Work: Looking ahead as President Obama and Republican candidates are set to release their job plans. Also, a visit to Capitol Hill as the committee charged with taming the deficit begins work…. – NYT, 8-31-11

Despite Keys, Obama Is No Lock: A set of data points that help predict presidential election winners may have a good track record, but 2012 could upset the equation…. – NYT, 8-31-11

Political parties see uptick in money this year: The country’s two political parties saw an uptick in donations this election cycle, with Democrats enjoying a 22 percent fundraising edge over Republicans ahead of next year’s election, new federal data show.
Democratic committees, including the party’s national, congressional and Senate panels, raised more than $128 million during the first seven months of this year. That compares with Republicans’ $105 million in contributions as GOP leaders try to counter the cash flow supporting President Barack Obama’s bid for a second term…. – AP, 8-31-11

“The radical environmentalists have demanded that we lock up all our energy resources. President Bachmann will take that key out of the door. I will unlock it.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann

FACT CHECK: Bachmann energy claims oversimplified: America’s energy future can’t be unlocked as simply as Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann makes it sound when she depicts the nation as the “king daddy dogs” of energy. Even if environmentalists folded and Washington regulators got out of the way, much of the energy is too expensive for companies to develop…. – AP, 8-30-11

Irene was ‘act of God.’ What quip says about Michele Bachmann campaign: The Michele Bachmann campaign is calling her quip about God and natural disasters an obvious joke. But the incident sheds some light on her style and resilience as a campaigner…. – CS Monitor, 8-29-11

As Republican Candidates Bash Science, Another Call to George Will: Another call for a onetime champion of science to rise to its defense again…. – NYT, 8-29-11

“People are the most important ingredient in life. I love people, and I care deeply that our nation’s economy turns around so they can realize their American dream. This book will help to share my enthusiasm for an energized, pro-growth economy, and the life experiences that inform my optimism for the American people and for American greatness.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann in a statement issued through Sentinel

Bachmann memoir coming in November: Michele Bachmann has a book deal. Sentinel, a conservative imprint of Penguin Group (USA), announced Monday that the Republican presidential candidate’s memoir will arrive in November and already has been completed. The book, reports of which first circulated in June, is currently untitled…. – AP, 8-29-11

CAMPAIGN 2012: ANALYSTS &S HISTORIANS COMMENTS

Julian Zelizer: What Bill Clinton could teach GOP: Former President Bill Clinton could teach the Republican Party a thing or two about effective campaign strategy…. – CNN, 9-2-11

“Candidates often have to make tough choices about their religion — whether to talk about it, what to say about it and even what to do about it — such as leaving a church. These tensions are quite strong among Republicans as the presidential nomination contest heats up, partly because of religious disagreements among key constituencies, but partly because of differences in issue priorities — economic versus social issues.” — John Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, Ohio

“These folks are not professional theologians and, except in a few cases like Huckabee, they haven’t been to seminary. Most of them haven’t had more education about the relationship between Christianity and politics than the average person on the street. While they have their own personal faith, it isn’t usually well informed by history and theology.” — Gary Smith, author of “Faith & the Presidency” and a historian at Grove City College, a Christian school in Pennsylvania

“The voting public no longer believes, as they did as late as the 1950s, that religion was about what you thought and not what you did….
For the first time, we’re not only interested in whether someone is religious, which is essentially a question of, ‘Do you have a morality that the voter can identify with?’ It appears that there’s a significant portion of the electorate that’s interested in what the particular theology of the candidate is. Do they believe in Jesus? If so, what kind of Jesus do you believe in?” — Kathleen Flake, who specializes in American religious history at Vanderbilt University

Theology a hot issue in 2012 GOP campaign: It used to be simpler. Protestants were the majority, and candidates could show their piety just by attending church.
Now, politicians are navigating a landscape in which rifts over faith and policy have become chasms. An outlook that appeals to one group enrages another. Campaigns are desperate to find language generic enough for a broad constituency that also conveys an unshakable faith.
There is no avoiding the minefield, especially with early primaries in Iowa and South Carolina, where evangelical voters are so influential.
Nationally, more than 70 percent of Republicans and more than half of Democrats say it’s somewhat or very important that a presidential candidate have very strong religious beliefs, according to the Public Religion Research Institute…. – AP, 9-3-11

Allan Lichtman: “Never-Wrong” Pundit Predicts 2012 Win for Obama: History is on President Obama’s side as the 2012 elections approach. And by “history” we mean Allan Lichtman, an American University professor who has gone 7-for-7 at predicting presidential elections since he developed his candidate-picking system roughly two decades ago.
Lichtman says that based on the 13 criteria he has used to correctly forecast every presidential election since Ronald Reagan’s re-election victory in 1984, Team Obama can rest easy. “Even if I am being conservative, I don’t see how Obama can lose,” Lichtman told US News…. – Slate, 8-31-11

Michael Beschloss talks at secret Obama election retreat: Aides to President Barack Obama held a secret strategy retreat where they listened to a history lesson from a presidential scholar about past presidents who could serve as models for Obama’s re-election effort, Time magazine reported.
Historian Michael Beschloss reportedly gave the team hope with his June presentation about Democrat Franklin Roosevelt and Republican Ronald Reagan, who both won re-election in tough economic times.
According to Time, Beschloss said the strategies the two presidents used were similar: they both made the case that the economy was improving and that their opponents would make things worse…. – Reuters, 9-1-11

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger to be published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Mitt Romney edged out President Obama in a recent Gallup poll that asked voters to say who they would vote for if the 2012 presidential election were held today. Rick Perry and Obama were tied. (Brian Snyder/Reuters, Carolyn Kaster, Michael Thomas/Associated Press)

AP-GfK Poll: Obama faces trouble with key voters: Whites and women are a re-election problem for President Barack Obama. Younger voters and liberals, too, but to a lesser extent.
All are important Democratic constituencies that helped him win the White House in 2008 and whose support he’ll need to keep it next year…. – AP, 8-27-11

Poll: GOP voters feeling better about prez choices: An Associated Press-GfK poll released Friday found that Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are coming around to the choices already on the table: About two-thirds are pleased with the party’s presidential field, compared with just half in June. And they’re paying more attention, with 52 percent expressing a “great deal” of interest in the GOP nomination fight — compared with 39 percent earlier this summer — after a period that saw Perry enter the race and Michele Bachmann win a test vote in Iowa, the lead-off caucus state, threatening Mitt Romney’s standing at the top of the pack.
The poll shows Perry, who has never run a national campaign and is just now introducing himself to most people, benefiting from wall-to-wall news coverage over the past few weeks as he became a candidate and jostled the until-then sleepy contest. Just 12 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents have a negative impression of the Texas governor. And 63 percent of Republicans view him in a positive light, compared with 33 percent in June…. – AP, 8-25-11

Obama in dead heat with four GOP contenders: President Obama is polling neck-and-neck with four Republican presidential candidates, according to a Gallup survey of registered voters.
Romney has a slight edge over Obama (48% to 46%), while Perry and Obama are tied at 47%. Obama has a slight edge over Paul (47% to 45%) and a slightly larger edge over Bachmann (48% to 44%).
Republicans appeared to prefer Perry – 92% said they would vote for him – followed by Romney (91%), Bachmann (86%) and Paul (82%) in a match-up with Obama.
Independents chose Romney, Perry and Paul over Obama, but favored Obama over Bachmann by 6 percentage points.
Obama’s support from Democrats did not exceed 86% when he was matched against any of the four Republicans. Twelve percent of Democrats said they would vote for Romney or Paul over Obama…. – LAT, 8-23-11

“I have no interest in serving as vice president for anyone who could possibly live all eight years of the presidency. So the reality of it is, I’m not going to be the vice presidential nominee. But I look forward to working for whoever our nominee is.” — Sen. Marco Rubio, FL

Jeb Bush to Republican Candidates: ‘You Can’t Just Be Against the President': “I think the president means well, but his policies have failed, and to point that out — nothing wrong with that. That’s politics,” Bush told Fox News host Neil Cavuto in an interview Tuesday. “But just to stop there and say I’m going to win because I’m against what’s going on is not enough. You have to win with purpose if you really want to make these big changes.”
Cavuto asked Bush if he thought some Republican contenders had gone too far in their criticism of the president. “I do,” Bush responded. “I think when you start ascribing bad motives to the guy, that’s wrong. It turns off people who want solutions.”… – PBS Newshour, 8-25-11

Perry Zooms to Front of Pack for 2012 GOP Nomination Leads Romney by 29% to 17%: Shortly after announcing his official candidacy, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has emerged as rank-and- file Republicans’ current favorite for their party’s 2012 presidential nomination. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents nationwide say they are most likely to support Perry, with Mitt Romney next, at 17%…. – Gallup, 8-24-11

“Rick is a very effective candidate… You’re going to try and find something that’s changed. I’ve got a dark shirt on today. It was a light shirt yesterday. Look, I’m following the strategy I’ve had and that we’ve laid out from the very beginning. . . . If you’re running for president, your focus should be on the person who is president and his failures and how you’re going to make America better.” Republican Candidate Mitt Romney

GALLUP: RICK PERRY LEADS FIELD — Texas Gov. Rick Perry is in first place among Republican primary candidates, according to Gallup. Perry polled at 29 percent, followed by Mitt Romney with 17 percent, Ron Paul with 13 percent and Michele Bachmann at 10 percent. — Politico, 8-25-11

Barely two weeks since starting his presidential campaign, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas has rocketed to a double-digit lead over former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts to become the front-runner in the Republican contest for the White House, according to a Gallup poll released on Wednesday. Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, the winner of the Iowa straw poll, ranked fourth, and Representative Ron Paul of Texas was third, slightly behind Mr. Romney. Jon M. Huntsman Jr., a former governor of Utah and an ex-ambassador to China under President Obama, ranked eighth and last. — NYT

Mitt Romney now trailing Rick Perry for GOP presidential nomination, poll shows: As Romney returned to the campaign trail this week, he faced a new reality: He is no longer ahead of the pack in the race for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. A Gallup poll released Wednesday showed Texas Gov. Rick Perry with a sizable lead over Romney among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents nationally, 29 percent to 17 percent.
The survey showed Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) at 13 percent and Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) slipping to 10 percent. No other candidate registered in the double digits…. – WaPo, 8-25-11

Perry Surges in Polls, Testing Romney’s Strategy: Primary polls can be erratic, so the rule is not to get too worked up about any one set of numbers. But now there have been five surveys conducted since Rick Perry announced his presidential campaign — one each from Gallup…. – NYT, 8-25-11

“You know what, if you’re running for president, your focus should be on the person who is president and his failures and how you’re going to make America better. That’s what I’ve been speaking about since the beginning of my campaign. That’s what I’m going to continue to speak about.” — Mitt Romney

Romney Undeterred by Perry, or by Poll Numbers: Mitt Romney, trying to brush off questions about Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, his Republican competitor in the 2012 presidential contest, offered a clear description of his campaign strategy during a press briefing in Claremont, N.H., on Wednesday…. – NYT, 8-24-11

Perry bids for frontrunner title: A pair of pollsters delivered an unambiguous message to Rick Perry’s opponents Wednesday: This is not a drill. The Texas governor has been in the 2012 race for less than two weeks, but already he has captured a lofty position in national… – Politico, 8-25-11

Perry Watch: Gallup poll puts Rick Perry on top: Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the longtime presumed frontrunner in the GOP race to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012, may have just been usurped by Texas Gov. Rick Perry. A new Gallup poll puts Perry, a newcomer to the presidential race, on top…. – Houston Chronicle, 8-25-11

Rick Perry leads GOP field in new Gallup poll: Buoyed by his recent entry into the 2012 presidential contest, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has jumped past former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and leads the GOP field for the first time, according to a new Gallup poll of Republican voters.
The national survey showed Perry leading Romney by a double-digit margin—29% to 17%. It also found that Michele Bachmann got no significant bounce from her victory in an Iowa straw poll, which was overshadowed by Perry’s announcement speech the same day.
Bachmann has dropped three percentage points, to 10%, since the previous Gallup poll, conducted in late July. A more relevant measure of Bachmann’s prospects will await the next reputable poll in Iowa, where she and Perry are facing off in the most important early test of the Republican race…. – LAT, 8-25-11

Rick Perry zips past Mitt Romney in the polls: The latest national Gallup poll shows Rick Perry has opened up a 12-point lead over Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential race. Ron Paul is also gaining ground…. – CS Monitor, 8-25-11

Rick Perry steps ahead of Mitt Romney in the polls for Republican 2012 Presidential Nonimation: In a recently released Gallup Poll, Texas Governor Rick Perry now sits as the leading GOP Presidential candidate, with the support of 29 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents…. – CBS News, 8-25-11

Not sure Rick Perry’s poll vault will trump Mitt Romney: The political world has been jolted by the news that Gov. Rick Perry (R-Tex.) now holds a commanding lead in the latest surveys from Gallup and Public Policy Polling. A 12-point and 13-point lead, respectively…. – WaPo, 8-25-11

Poll: Rick Perry leads Republican race: Texas Gov. Rick Perry emerged as the Republican front-runner for president in a major national poll Wednesday as he prepared to embark on a multi-city fundraising tour in his home state next week. … – MiamiHerald.com, 8-25-11

Perry is now the front-runner in GOP presidential race, Gallup poll shows: Gallup’s latest survey shows the Texas governor quickly taking the lead spot, less than two weeks after jumping into the race. Perry leads 29-17 over Mitt Romney, who had long held that spot, with Texas congressman Ron Paul at 13 percent and Rep. Michele Bachmann at 10 percent…. – Dallas Morning News, 8-25-11

Perry, Romney and polls: Right Turn readers know I’m no fan of early, national primary polls. But they do, after a time, begin to shape donors’ and activists’ perceptions of the race. So what do they see and what should they learn from the spate of national candidates… – WaPo, 8-25-11

Perry Leads in National Polls: Mitt Romney may not be the frontrunner anymore: Since Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his candidacy for president, five polls have showed him leading the GOP pack. On average, Perry has 26 percent of the vote in these surveys while Romney has 16…. – Daily Beast, 8-25-11

August Is The Cruelest Month: Perry Usurps Romney’s Front-Runner Status (The Note): What the polls giveth, the polls taketh away. And just like that, after months of referring to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination…. – ABC News, 8-25-11

Perry Good Show: The race for the right to take on Barack Obama has been turned on its head. Less than two weeks after declaring his candidacy, Texas governor Rick Perry has taken a double-digit lead over the former favourite Mitt Romney. A Gallup poll put Perry on 29 percent…. – Sky News, 8-25-11

Rick Perry Leads Poll, Popular With Religious, Southern Republicans: Texas governor Rick Perry is the leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest Gallup Poll. Perry has 29 percent of the votes, compared to the second runner-up, Mitt Romney…. – International Business Times, 8-25-11

NY GOPer urges a Perry-Giuliani ticket: One of New York’s best-known Republicans is calling on presidential hopeful Rick Perry to choose Rudy Giuliani as his running mate for next year’s election, according to Frederic U. Dicker, veteran politics reporter for the New York Post. … – Houston Chronicle, 8-25-11

Perry to Join Sept. 7 GOP Debate: Texas Gov. Rick Perry will participate in the Sept. 7 GOP presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif.
It will be Mr. Perry’s first time with all of the major 2012 Republican hopefuls since he announced his candidacy Aug. 13. Also on the stage: former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, pizza magnate Herman Cain, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
The debate is sponsored by the Reagan Presidential Foundation, NBC News and Politico, which reported the lineup Thursday…. – WSJ, 8-25-11

THE HEADLINES: WEEKLY RECAP

As States’ Rights Stalwart, Rick Perry Draws Doubts: Gov. Rick Perry of Texas has come to publicly embrace states’ rights as a defining issue only in the past few years…. – NYT, 8-29-11

Perry blasts Obama, notes own job-creating record: Rick Perry warned during an appearance in Iowa that President Obama has driven the nation’s economy into a ditch, arguing that his own record as governor qualifies him to lead the way out. “Instead of eliminating our economic crisis, he worsened it.” … – AP, 8-27-11

“The United States is the number one country in the world for energy resources. That doesn’t even include … all the oil in Alaska.” — “Instead of thinking we are beggars out here begging for oil and for energy, we are the king daddy dogs when it comes to energy. The radical environmentalists have demanded that we lock up all our energy resources. President Bachmann will take that key out of the door. I will unlock it.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Bachmann: Environmentalists blocking US energy: Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann claimed Saturday that the United States has more fuel resources than any other country, but blamed what she termed “radical environmentalists” for bottling up American energy policy…. – AP, 8-27-11

“I want to bring advisers in from labor and from manufacturers and from the service industry and financial services. I want to know what they know, because that’s what we’ve been missing from President Obama. He has virtually no one in his Cabinet with private sector experience. I want to bring people who know how to create jobs into my administration.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Bachmann says she’d consider minimum wage changes: Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann said Friday she wouldn’t rule out changes to the federal minimum wage as a way to lower the cost of doing business and lure corporations back to the United States…. – AP, 8-26-11

Despite Perry’s Gains, Romney Remains Strong in Florida: This week saw Texas Gov. Rick Perry leapfrog Mitt Romney in the national polls, but the former governor of Massachusetts is still holding on strong in the key battleground state of Florida…. – PBS Newshour, 8-26-11

Clock ticking on Sarah Palin entry into 2012 presidential race: There are some drop-dead dates that Sarah Palin cannot escape if she wants to run in 2012. The former Alaska governor seems to believe that most of the rules of politics don’t apply to her — that with her media appeal and her grass-roots following, she could waltz into the presidential campaign at the 11th hour and make a go of it…. – Politico, 8-26-11

Once Again, No Candidate Pataki: Former New York Gov. George E. Pataki decides not to enter an already crowded field of Republican presidential candidates…. – NYT, 8-26-11

Forget First Impressions; Perry Isn’t Bush 2: While George W. Bush and Rick Perry can occasionally seem like clones, there are real differences in the Texas they governed and how they governed it…. – NYT, 8-26-11

Despite His Current Vehemence on Taxes, Perry Has a More Nuanced Record: For all of his anti-tax-increase language today, Rick Perry has actually signed on to tax increases, some quite large, in his political career…. – NYT, 8-26-11

Fund-Raisers Likely to Be Canceled Due to Irene: Three big presidential fund-raisers scheduled for this weekend are up in the air thanks to the impending arrival of Hurricane Irene, currently hurtling toward New York…. – NYT, 8-26-11

Romney Continues Charm Offensive With Personal Stories: The Republican presidential candidate shares a tale about how his father-in-law was able to pay for college, and deflects a question about his vice-presidential preference…. – NYT, 8-26-11

Should Pataki Be President?: City Room readers: Do you think former Gov. George E. Pataki would make a good president?…. – NYT, 8-25-11

Has Sarah Palin exhausted the patience of her supporters?: There is some evidence that while waiting for a potential Sarah Palin presidential run, her potential voters have moved on and now support other tea party-backed candidates, such as Rick Perry or Michele Bachmann…. – CS Monitor, 8-24-11

“It is an honor to again work with Mitt Romney. At such a critical time in our nation’s history, it is important that we have someone with his background to lead the country.” — Vin Weber

Romney picks up endorsements from key Pawlenty supporters: As Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney began a campaign swing across New Hampshire on Wednesday, he picked up several key endorsements here and in the first-caucus state of Iowa.
Romney also won the backing of Vin Weber, a former Minnesota congressman and prominent Washington lobbyist who had served as national co-chairman of former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty’s presidential campaign.
Pawlenty dropped out of the race Aug. 14, following a distant third-place showing at the Iowa straw poll. Weber, who had been Romney’s policy chairman in his 2008 presidential campaign, is rejoining the Romney team, this time as a special adviser on foreign and economic policy…. – WaPo, 8-24-11

Marco Rubio Says No to Ticket, but Finds Skeptics: Marco Rubio says he does not want to be vice president, but not everyone believes him…. – NYT, 8-24-11

Has Ron Paul become electable?: In a head-to-head matchup with Obama, GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is within striking distance, a new Gallup poll shows. But Mitt Romney and Rick Perry are running stronger…. – CS Monitor, 8-23-11

Why Another Democrat Wouldn’t Do Better Than Obama in 2012: Obama may be losing popularity, but for Democrats turning to another candidate might be a bad idea…. – NYT, 8-23-11

News From Libya Pushes G.O.P. Candidates to Respond: Republican presidential candidates looked for ways to address a development that could bolster President Obama’s national security credentials…. – NYT, 8-22-11

Tea Party Favorite Won’t Challenge Senate Republican: Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, announced Monday that he would not run for the Senate, removing a potentially formidable rival to Senator Orrin Hatch as he seeks a seventh term…. – NYT, 8-23-11

CAMPAIGN 2012: ANALYSTS &S HISTORIANS COMMENTS

DAVID BROOKS: President Rick Perry?: The rise of the Republican presidential candidate reflects fundamental shifts in the electorate, and it’s time to take him seriously…. – NYT, 8-26-11

Julian Zelizer: It’s too early to name Bachmann, Perry front-runners: The meteoric rise of Rep. Michele Bachman and Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the competition for the GOP presidential nomination — combined with the rapid demise of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s presidential bid — all before any caucus or primary has taken place, reveals how the presidential selection process is broken…. – CNN, 8-22-11

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger to be published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

Obama in Dead Heat with Romney, Perry, Paul, Bachmann in Gallup Poll: President Obama is in a statistical dead heat when matched with each of four GOP presidential contenders in a hypothetical 2012 election match-up, according to a new Gallup survey of registered voters.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads Obama by a 48 percent to 46 percent margin, while Texas Gov. Rick Perry ties the president at 47 percent. Obama bests Ron Paul by a 47-45 divide and Michele Bachmann by 48-44 split. All results are within a 4-point margin of error…. – ABC News, 8-22-11

“I sincerely appreciate the support from those eager to chart a brighter future for the next generation. While humbled by the encouragement, I have not changed my mind, and therefore I am not seeking our party’s nomination for president.” — Rep. Paul D. Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee

“The lasting impact of events in Libya will depend on ensuring rebel factions form a unified, civil government that guarantees personal freedoms, and builds a new relationship with the West where we are allies instead of adversaries.” — Gov. Rick Perry

“Governor Huntsman’s view remains that intervention in Libya was a mistake and not core to our national security interest.” — Tim Miller, Jon Huntsman’s Spokesman

“The impending fall of Colonel Qaddafi is one chapter in the developing story of a nation in turmoil. Qaddafi has been a longtime opponent of freedom, and I am hopeful — as the whole world should be — that his defeat is a step toward openness, democracy and human rights for a people who greatly deserve it.” — Jon M. Huntsman Jr. Official Statement

“I opposed U.S. military involvement in Libya and I am hopeful that our intervention there is about to end.” — Representative Michele Bachmann

“The Obama Administration’s call for Syrian President Assad to step down is long overdue. President Assad threatens the safety and security not only of the Syrian people, but the entire Middle East. He also supports terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas. Every diplomatic option should be brought to bear to prevent President Assad from wreaking further violence on his people and the region.” — Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on Syria

“America must show leadership on the world stage and work to move these developing nations toward modernity. This means using the bullhorn of the presidency and not remaining silent for too long while voices of freedom and dissent are under attack.” — Mitt Romney’s Statement on Syria

“The Republican nominee and the next president of the United States is going to be Rick Perry or Mitt Romney. Michele Bachmann has struck a real chord on the issues important to conservatives, but what we need is a governor with proven record of job creation, deficit reduction, and other accomplishments.” — Fred Malek, a top Republican money man who ran George H.W. Bush’s 1992 campaign

Despite Bachmann’s success, the real GOP race is now Perry vs. Romney: Until now, the biggest question looming over the 2012 Republican primary was who would emerge as the leading alternative to the nominal front-runner, Mitt Romney. We now know the answer to that question: Rick Perry.
Sure, Perry jumped into the race only one day ago and needs to prove he’s worthy of the national stage. Yes, Michele Bachmann is the one who boxed Tim Pawlenty out of the race with her triumph in the Iowa Straw Poll on Saturday.
But it is the governor of the great big state of Texas, not the Minnesota congresswoman, who poses the biggest threat to Romney from here on out. That’s because Perry boasts that killer combination of assets: the power to grab hold of voters — which Bachmann shares — plus a concrete record of creating jobs. It’s the rhetoric plus the results, the inspiration layered on top of the perspiration…. – National Journal, 8-15-11

Top tier emerges as GOP nomination race enters a defining phase: With Rick Perry declaring his candidacy and Michele Bachmann winning the Iowa straw poll, the two go head-to-head for the GOP’s social and religious conservatives and against establishment front-runner Mitt Romney…. – LAT, 8-15-11

THE HEADLINES: WEEKLY RECAP

Ryan Says No to 2012 — Again: Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin never said he was running for president. In fact, he said again and again that he had no plans to seek the Republican nomination. Yet even with his repeated denials, several conservative leaders had stepped up their efforts in the last week and urged him to reconsider…. – NYT, 8-22-11

Daniels ‘at peace’ with decision to skip 2012 run: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels says he’s “at peace” with his decision not to seek the Republican nomination for president.
Daniels says he sees good people with a lot of character in the field and that he believes many of them have the right skills to be president…. – AP, 8-21-11

Jon Huntsman vs. Rick Perry: Shoot-out at the GOP corral: Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry represent very different views of how a Republican can beat Barack Obama in 2012. To jazz up his campaign, Huntsman laid into tea party favorite Perry Sunday…. – AP, 8-21-11

As Governor, Perry Backed Wind, Gas and Coal: A look back at Gov. Rick Perry’s energy policies during his tenure shows his strong support for natural gas drilling and “clean coal,” as well as wind power…. – NYT, 8-21-11

Perry and the Tea Party: Depends on Whom You Ask: Gov. Rick Perry is strongly associated with the Tea Party, but party supporters at a recent gathering in Waco expressed varying opinions about the governor’s record and credentials…. – NYT, 8-21-11

Despite Outward Similarities, Perry and Bush Keep Their Distance: The Bush inner circle’s dislike for Gov. Rick Perry, who has worked to differentiate himself from the former president, runs deep…. – NYT, 8-20-11

Is Sarah Palin going to announce she’s running for president on September 3?: It’s relatively late in the game, but GOP strategist Karl Rove predicts that Palin will jump into the 2012 presidential race. She could do it when she headlines a tea party gathering next month…. – CS Monitor, 8-20-11

Huntsman: 2012 rivals politically on the ‘fringes': The former Utah governor says his Republican rivals as well as President Barack Obama are on the political “fringes.” Huntsman says Obama is too liberal and there are Republican candidates who are too far to the right and have “zero substance.”… – AP, 8-21-11

Huntsman pounds Perry on climate change and Fed: Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman is pounding away at rival Rick Perry’s skepticism of manmade global warming and criticism of the nation’s central banker, saying those stands hurt the GOP and make the Texas governor come off as a not-so-serious national figure…. – AP, 8-20-11

“We need to be thoughtful before we ever go into an area that America’s interests are truly being impacted, and then we need to start having a thoughtful conversation with those commanders in the field about how to be bringing our young men and women back. Look, I think the president made a huge mistake by signaling the enemy that we’re going to leave at a particular time. That’s bad public policy, but more importantly it put our kids in harm’s way.” — Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

“The answer is we’re going to cut the taxes, we’re going lower the regulations, we’re going to get the lawyers out of our business and we’re going to get America back working again.” — Rick Perry

Perry: Troop withdrawals need careful discussion: Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Saturday that thoughtful discussion is needed to bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq as he wrapped up his first week of campaigning for the GOP’s presidential nomination…. – AP, 8-20-11

“Because we’re all about smaller government; we’re all about making government work. We’re all about cutting taxes, cutting regulations and cutting litigation. If you want to live in a state and in a country that doesn’t allow for over-suing, then I’m your guy.” — Gov. Rick Perry

Perry brings job message to high-unemployment SC: Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s delivered a timely jobs message to South Carolina’s Republican primary voters Friday.
On this trip, he’s also picking up an endorsement from one of the state’s top fundraisers. A campaign representative for Perry said prominent GOP fundraiser David Wilkins will endorse the governor’s bid for the presidential nomination…. – AP, 8-19-11

Off the Cuff, Into the Headlines: Gov. Rick Perry has been tripped up by off-the-cuff remarks before, and it’s clear from his “treason” comment about Ben Bernanke that he still has not learned to watch his words…. – NYT, 8-19-11

Palin Keeps an Eye on Iowa: Sarah Palin has not forgotten about Iowa. One week after barnstorming the Iowa State Fair, Ms. Palin released a new video on Friday that chronicled her visit to the state that will kick off the Republican nominating contest early next year. The campaign-style video, which features a montage of photographs of people lining up to see her, is the latest piece of evidence that Ms. Palin wishes to remain a factor in the 2012 presidential campaign…. – AP, 8-19-11

Obama Moves to Regain Mantle of Campaigner: In the first indication of how he will confront his Republican opponent, the president cast himself as a rational, yet partisan fighter…. – NYT, 8-19-11

Just an Ordinary Overachiever in Paint Creek: Growing up in Paint Creek, Rick Perry was just like everybody else, his hometown friends say, except that he did everything better…. – NYT, 8-19-11

E.P.A Draws Harsh Words From Most G.O.P. Candidates: Republican presidential hopefuls are portraying the Environmental Protection Agency as a symbol of a heavy-handed regulatory agenda that they say is strangling the economy…. – NYT, 8-18-11

Huntsman on Evolution? ‘Call Me Crazy': Jon M. Huntsman Jr. is eager to stand out. Just not too much. In a Twitter message sent Thursday afternoon, Mr. Huntsman wrote: To be clear. I believe in evolution and trust scientists on global warming. Call me crazy.Thu Aug 18 17:57:52 via Twitter for iPhoneJon Huntsman JonHuntsman
The message was a direct shot at his newest rival, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, who said this week that climate change was “a scientific theory that has not been proved” and called evolution “just a theory.”… – NYT, 8-18-11

Minnesota: Pawlenty Says He Won’t Run for Senate: Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty definitively ruled out a 2012 campaign for the Senate on Wednesday after ending his bid for the White House a few days ago…. – NYT, 8-18-11

Perry and Romney Assail Obama on Syria: Two Republican presidential candidates assail the president’s handling of the situation in Syria…. – NYT, 8-18-11

Warren Files to Test the Senate Waters: Elizabeth Warren formed an exploratory committee on Thursday morning as she continues to consider a run for the Senate in Massachusetts, and her camp maintains that she is still doing just that: exploring. But given their gleeful reaction to this news, Bay State and some national Democrats seem primed for a painful letdown if Ms. Warren, a Harvard Law professor, ultimately decides against challenging Senator Scott Brown…. – NYT, 8-18-11

With Ames Over, Candidates Are Free to Move About the Country: The candidates for president have 136 days until the start of 2012, when the real voting will begin, first in Iowa but then very quickly in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Michigan, Nevada and the rest. For their campaigns, the trick is how best to schedule that time. And the answer will help reveal the very different strategies that each campaign has mapped out to win the nomination…. – AP, 8-18-11

“Friday, Iowa’s going to bury one of your own, one of those young Navy SEALs who was killed in Afghanistan,” he said, pausing as his voice cracked.
“I want you to think about T.J. Tumilson and the sacrifices that are still being made today so a guy like me can stand up on a soapbox at the Iowa State Fair and talk freely about freedom and liberty and America and that we are an exceptional country and we’re going to stay an exceptional country.”
Then, Perry pointed his left index finger skyward, raised his voice and declared: “We don’t need anybody apologizing anywhere in this world about America!” — Gov. Rick Perry

Perry exudes confidence, swagger on campaign trail: Welcome to the Rick Perry roadshow. The newest entrant into the Republican presidential race has added a Texas-size dose of spark to a crop of candidates who haven’t seemed to stoke the passions of the tea party or the broader GOP. No matter where he goes, the Lone Star governor seems to own his crowds within minutes of taking the stage. He moves but doesn’t pace. He gestures but not wildly. He sheds his sport coat — and he turns heads…. – AP, 8-18-11

Perry Parries Hecklers in Portsmouth: Gov. Rick Perry of Texas took his popovers with a side of hecklers Thursday morning, when he stopped into Popovers on the Square in downtown Portsmouth to greet voters. More than a dozen protesters, many of them mobilized by the New Hampshire Alliance for Retired Americans, welcomed Mr. Perry with signs…. – NYT, 8-18-11

E.P.A Draws Harsh Words From Most G.O.P. Candidates: Republican presidential hopefuls are portraying the Environmental Protection Agency as a symbol of a heavy-handed regulatory agenda that they say is strangling the economy…. – NYT, 8-18-11

Day After Fed Uproar, Perry Tones It Down: Gov. Rick Perry of Texas shied away from criticizing the Federal Reserve, and other potentially controversial subjects, at two carefully controlled campaign stops in New Hampshire…. – NYT, 8-18-11

“I think that everybody who runs for president, it probably takes them a little bit of time before they start realizing that this isn’t like running for governor or running for Senate or running for Congress. You’ve got to be a little more careful about what you say.” — President Barack Obama on CNN

Perry’s colorful tongue takes the national stage: In the words of Gov. Rick Perry, secession was one scenario on the table for frustrated Texans. The BP oil spill? Might have been an act of God instead of corporate errors. And if the Federal Reserve puts more money in the U.S. system, as Perry told voters in Iowa this week, you could chalk it up as a treasonous act that would be treated “pretty ugly” back home…. – AP, 8-17-11

Perry Links Federal Reserve Policies and Treason: Gov. Rick Perry did not retract his remarks that the Federal Reserve’s monetary policies were “treasonous.” Critics from the right say this is what they expect of the Texas governor…. – NYT, 8-17-11

Romney View of Perry: Just Another Opponent: Despite the entry of Gov. Rick Perry into the Republican presidential race, Mitt Romney is trying to keep his focus on President Obama…. – AP, 8-17-11

Romney View of Perry: Just Another Opponent: Despite the entry of Gov. Rick Perry into the Republican presidential race, Mitt Romney is trying to keep his focus on President Obama…. – NYT, 8-17-11

Gingrich Turns Focus to Hawaii: It may not make for the best political strategy, but Newt Gingrich is laughing all the way to the beach. Mr. Gingrich’s presidential schedule shows him campaigning in Hawaii on Saturday and Monday, thousands of miles — and a big ocean — away from Iowa and New Hampshire…. – NYT, 8-17-11

White House paints GOP field with tea party brush: The rising profiles of Republican presidential candidates Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann are giving the White House a new opening: linking the entire GOP field to the tea party, whose popularity has recently sagged….
Republican candidates must decide whether to “swear allegiance to the tea party” or work with Democrats to create jobs, Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs said Tuesday. After last week’s GOP debate in Iowa, Obama campaign guru David Axelrod claimed the presidential contenders were “pledging allegiance to the tea party.” And a new video by the Democratic National Committee says Republican lawmakers and presidential candidates are “embracing extreme tea party policies.”… – AP, 8-17-11

Obama Presses His Case in Crucial Iowa, but Perry Is Close on His Heels: While President Obama sought to regain support in the Midwestern states that once favored his candidacy, Gov. Rick Perry staged a rally just 11 miles away…. – NYT, 8-17-11

After a Strong Start, Can Bachmann Follow Through?: Michele Bachmann has made history as the Republican Party’s first genuine female presidential candidate. But the question of whether she is electable remains unanswered…. – NYT, 8-17-11

“I think Rick Perry is a real positive. Nobody can predict outcomes, but I think he will do very nicely. We need someone in this country who is willing to shake things up.” — Donald Trump

Trump praises Perry, keeps open a possible run: Real estate mogul Donald Trump said Tuesday he expects Texas Gov. Rick Perry to do “very nicely” as a presidential candidate. But Trump stopped short of endorsing Perry and said he hasn’t ruled out running for president himself as an independent…. – AP, 8-16-11

In Open Primary Plan for Arizona, a Call for Moderation: A bipartisan group has stepped forward with a remedy for what members describe as the lack of moderation in Arizona politics…. – NYT, 8-16-11

“If this guy prints more money between now and the election, I don’t know what y’all would do to him in Iowa, but we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.” Gov. Rick Perry said, responding to a question from the audience.

White House fires back at Perry comments: Perry said if Bernanke did that, “we would treat him pretty ugly down in Texas.” Carney says people running for president have to think about what they say. He spoke to reporters traveling with Obama on his three-state Midwest bus tour. … – AP, 8-16-11

A Confident Perry Lingers to Make Friends at the Fair: The addition of Gov. Rick Perry of Texas to the presidential campaign has changed the landscape of the Republican field and injected a shot of vigor into the contest…. – NYT, 8-16-11

New pecking order in GOP field shifts race for WH: In less than a week, the slow-to-begin race for the Republican nomination has accelerated and undergone a dramatic shift, essentially becoming a three-way contest for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next year…. – AP, 8-15-11

“Understanding how the economy works by having worked in the real economy is finally essential in the White House. And I hope people recognize that. I respect the other people in this race, but I think the only other person who has that kind of extensive private sector experience besides me in the Republican race is Herman Cain….
I’m not going to vary my speech and my vision for the American people based upon the political winds of the day. I wish Rick the very best. As the process goes on, we’ll see whose background and skill most fits the needs of the country at a critical time like this.” — Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, told reporters during a campaign appearance at Litchfield Technology

“I happen to think the biggest issue facing this country is that we are facing economic turmoil, and if we don’t have a president that doesn’t get this country working, we’re in trouble. And I’ve got a track record.” — Gov. Rick Perry told about 300 Republican activists in Waterloo’s Electric Park Ballroom

“We started our own successful small company. We know how to build from scratch, putting capital together and starting a business from scratch and building it up so that we can actually offer jobs to people.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann

Bachmann, Perry compete on the same issue: jobs: They’re competing with each other and currently leading the pack of Republican presidential hopefuls, but Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann are riding the same issue out of Iowa: jobs…. – AP, 8-15-11

After Iowa, Republicans Face a New Landscape: With Tim Pawlenty out of the fight, a three-way race began taking shape to find a nominee who can emerge as the strongest challenger to President Obama…. – NYT, 8-15-11

Is Iowa Irrelevant?: A narrow reading of evidence suggests that Iowa does not matter at all for Republicans, but there are other factors to consider…. – NYT, 8-15-11

HOUSE — SENATE — GOVERNORSHIPS CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS

Chaffetz Won’t Seek Senate Seat in Utah: After appearing to spoil for a fight, Representative Jason Chaffetz, Republican of Utah, announced Monday that he would not run for his state’s Senate seat, removing a potentially formidable rival to Senator Orrin Hatch as Mr. Hatch seeks a seventh term in the Senate…. – NYT, 8-22-11

SPECIAL ELECTIONS: WISCONSIN RECALL ELECTIONS

2 Wis. Democrats keep their Senate seats: Two Democratic Wisconsin state senators targeted by Republicans survived their elections Tuesday, ending a tumultuous summer of recalls spurred by anger over how lawmakers reacted to Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal curbing collective bargaining rights of public workers.
State Sen. Bob Wirch of Pleasant Prairie was one of two Democratic state senators who survived Tuesday’s recall elections.
The recall elections in Wisconsin drew national attention with money pouring in from outside groups on both sides to influence the outcome. It’s estimated that total spending may break $40 million on the nine recall races combined.
Democrats saw the recalls as a first step in an effort to roll back the sweeping gains made by Republicans in the 2010 elections in Wisconsin and other states. In the Midwestern state last November, Republicans won a U.S. Senate seat, the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the Wisconsin state legislature…. – USA Today, 8-16-11

2 Wisconsin Democrats Re-elected: Two Democrats Jim Holperin and Bob Wirch, kept their seats in the Wisconsin State Senate on Tuesday, drawing an end to an unprecedented series of recall elections that had distracted the state all summer…. – NYT, 8-17-11

Dems hold on in Wisconsin: Recall elections in Wisconsin are over – for now – as two Democratic state senators easily beat back bids to remove them from power in special elections held on Tuesday. But controversial conservative Republican Gov. Scott Walker may face a recall next…. – Seattle Post Intelligencer, 8-17-11

Dems survive in final Wis. recall races: Two Democratic state senators in Wisconsin withstood recall elections Tuesday night, the last in a series of recalls that Democrats launched as political retribution for a Republican-backed effort to scale back labor rights…. – Politico, 8-17-11

2 Democrats keep their seats in Wisconsin recall election: Two Democratic state senators in Wisconsin defeated Republican challengers to hold on to their seats in a recall election Tuesday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. It was the last round in a series of recall elections…. – CNN, 8-17-11

Two Democrats Survive Recall in Wisconsin: Two Wisconsin Democratic state senators held onto their seats Tuesday in the state’s final recall elections of the year, leaving Republicans with a one-seat majority in the Senate…. – WSJ, 8-17-11

2011 Wisconsin recall elections come to a close with two incumbent Democrats: Two Democratic incumbent senators in Wisconsin both held their ground tonight, defeating Republican challengers in recall elections. The results mark the end of the dramatic summer recalls…. – Ballot News, 8-17-11

Holperin and Wirch keep their jobs: Democrats are claiming victory after retaining both seats in final two recalls. Tuesday’s recall elections weren’t about deciding which party would control the Senate, but by how much…. – Wisconsin Radio Network, 8-17-11

CAMPAIGN 2012: ANALYSTS &S HISTORIANS COMMENTS

Julian Zelizer: It’s too early to name Bachmann, Perry front-runners: The meteoric rise of Rep. Michele Bachman and Texas Gov. Rick Perry in the competition for the GOP presidential nomination — combined with the rapid demise of Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s presidential bid — all before any caucus or primary has taken place, reveals how the presidential selection process is broken…. – CNN, 8-22-11

Evan Smith: 5 myths about Rick Perry: You’re probably thinking, “I’ve seen this movie before: West Texas boy makes middling grades in college, gets elected governor and — to the consternation of gobsmacked Democrats, who misunderestimate his folksy appeal — runs for the Republican nomination for president.” But if that’s all you know about Rick Perry, you should be asking whether the country is ready for another White House occupant from the Lone Star State. The fact is, the most recent entrant into the GOP race is nothing like the caricatures being promoted on the left and the right. Here are some myths that need debunking, and quick….

1.

He’s a Bush clone:

Biographical similarities aside, Perry is not the second coming of George W. Bush, either stylistically or substantively.

2.

He’s a hillbilly dimwit:

That’s bias against Texas, pure and simple. Just because he wears cowboy boots and drops his G’s doesn’t mean he’s a dummy.

3.

He’s an ideological purist:

It’s true that Perry was 10th Amendment before 10th Amendment was cool, a believer in the notion that states are the laboratories of democracy — and that nothing good comes top-down from government.

4.

He opposes federal stimulus money:

Perry made headlines during the 2009 legislative session when he turned down $555 million in federal stimulus funding to extend unemployment insurance , citing the strings attached, and he has made a talking point out of the “failed stimulus.”

5.

He has presided over an unqualified economic miracle: When Perry says Texas has less than 10 percent of the nation’s population but has created more than 40 percent of its jobs in the past two years, or that more jobs have been created in Texas in the past decade — that is, on his watch — than in all 49 other states combined, he’s not exaggerating….

CAMPAIGN 2012

By Bonnie K. Goodman

Ms. Goodman is the Editor of History Musings. She has a BA in History & Art History & a Masters in Library and Information Studies from McGill University, and has done graduate work in history at Concordia University. Ms. Goodman has also contributed the overviews, and chronologies in History of American Presidential Elections, 1789-2008, 4th edition, edited by Gil Troy, Fred L. Israel, and Arthur Meier Schlesinger to be published by Facts on File, Inc. in late 2011.

CAMPAIGN BUZZ 2012

Richard Ellis/Getty Images

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas announced his candidacy for president at the RedState Gathering, a meeting of conservative activists, in Charleston, S.C., on Saturday.

Top tier emerges as GOP nomination race enters a defining phase: With Rick Perry declaring his candidacy and Michele Bachmann winning the Iowa straw poll, the two go head-to-head for the GOP’s social and religious conservatives and against establishment front-runner Mitt Romney…. – LAT, 8-15-11

QUOTES & SPEECHES

AP Interview: Perry calls jobs record a big plus: Texas Gov. Rick Perry contended Monday he has the best economic record and executive experience in government of any Republican presidential candidate, contrasting his credentials with those of his top two rivals, Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann…. – AP, 8-15-11

“I respect all the other candidates in the field but there is no one that can stand toe-to-toe with us.”

“There’s plenty of time to look at his four years in Massachusetts and my 10 years in Texas.”

“Trying to compare the job creation and the numbers of jobs with any other state is just not an apples-to-apples comparison.”

“I was in the private sector for 13 years after I left the Air Force. I wasn’t on Wall Street. I wasn’t working at Bain Capital. But the principles of the free market, they work whether you’re in a farm field in Iowa or whether you’re on Wall Street.”

“It’s a fair comparison. Understanding how that process works, but more importantly making that process work, of which we have done in Texas, is inarguably better than … anyone who is aspiring to be the president.”

“I’m going to talk about the economy; don’t get any ideas that I’m going to run away from my faith or my beliefs.”

The Ames Republican debate transcript: Everything they said that you missed — LAT, 8-13-11

“In Iowa we have successfully maintained the chain of liberty for 150 years my family has lived in Iowa. I’m the seventh-generation Iowan. And every generation has successfully handed the torch of liberty to the next. It’s as though we have forged a chain-link of liberty, and every generation has successfully kept the chain going. And now it’s our chance, here in Iowa. We get to forge that next chain on the link of liberty.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann

“I want to say on television what I said to you personally, I sincerely apologize, I didn’t mean to do it.” — Chris Wallace, Host “Fox News Sunda.”
“All is forgiven, we move forward, so we’re good to go.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann

“It is time to get America working again, to get citizens – to get our citizens working in good jobs and getting the government to working for the people again.” — Gov. Rick Perry

“Page 1 of any economic plan to get America working is to give a pink slip to the current resident in the White House. The president of the United States has a pen. It’s called a veto pen. And I will use it until the ink runs out if that’s what it takes.” — Gov. Rick Perry in Waterloo, Iowa

“The American people now, by a large majority, are saying we have been overseas too long. We don’t need an American empire. We need to protect our borders and forget about the borders in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s time to bring the troops home. All we have to do is restore the belief in freedom, restore the belief in what made America great, restore our conviction that the Constitution works.” — Rep. Ron Paul of Texas in his speech at the Iowa straw poll

“Obviously that message didn’t get the kind of traction or lift that we needed and hoped for coming into and out of the Ames Straw Poll. We needed to get some lift to continue on and to have a pathway forward. That didn’t happen. So I’m announcing this morning on your show that I’m going to be ending my campaign for president.
All of them are going to be tested, and somebody who can thrive in this process will have their mettle tested, and they’ll be improved. And so a lot of times you see candidates start out weaker, they get stronger over time, or start out strong and fall by the wayside. So we just don’t know.” — Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, dropped his presidential bid in an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” program hosted by Jack Tapper

“Tim Pawlenty and his entire team ran an honorable campaign. I admire his accomplishments as a two-term governor with a record of results for his state. I consider him a friend and I know he has a bright future ahead of him as a leader in the Republican Party.” — Mitt Romney

“Tim Pawlenty is an accomplished governor, a proud conservative and someone of tremendous character. Our families became close while we were serving together as governors and we are honored to call the Pawlentys dear friends. I know this wasn’t an easy decision for Tim and Mary, and I wish them nothing but the best. Tim should be proud that he brought to this race ambitious solutions to turn around our nation’s economy and to tackle debt and spending. I hope that all of his supporters continue to stay engaged in this defining election and work with us to ensure that our party wins in November.” — Jon M. Huntsman Jr.

“Tim Pawlenty is a good friend and colleague who I have worked closely with over the years, including visiting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a governor, Tim stuck to conservative principles despite leading a blue state like Minnesota. He and Mary are true patriots who are committed to our country, and ran an honorable campaign that reflected their integrity. Governor Pawlenty’s common-sense conservative voice will remain prominent and influential as we work to beat President Obama in 2012 and get America working again.” — Gov. Rick Perry

“This morning I spoke with Governor Pawlenty to express my respect and admiration for him, and to wish him and his family well. Running for the presidency requires enormous self-sacrifice. Governor Pawlenty brought an important voice and ideas to the campaign, and he served the people of Minnesota and our country well. Our party and our country are better as a result of his service and commitment.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann

GOP candidates slam Obama on US credit downgrade: The 2012 Republican presidential contenders have roundly criticized President Barack Obama for economic policies they contend helped drive the downgrade of U.S. credit by a major ratings agency…. – AP, 8-9-11

“Markets will rise and fall, but this is the United States of America. No matter what some agency may say, we’ve always been and always will be a triple-A country.” — President Obama said at the White House.

“Stop attacking, take responsibility and lead.” — Mitt Romney

“These problems have been percolating for a lot of years — both parties have to take some blame — but it’s also true that President Obama has made them exponentially worse.” — Tim Pawlenty said at an event in Ames

“You look at where the marketplace is today, you look at our downgrade, you look at all the economic woes that every American family has seen play out over the past little while. We’ve done this to ourselves and it’s time to reverse this business-unfriendly attitude of the past 2½ years.” — Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman

IN FOCUS: THE AMES IOWA GOP/REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DEBATE

FACT CHECK: Republican debate strains some facts: Michele Bachmann cast her opinion as a settled fact when she told the Republican presidential debate Thursday that a key element of President Barack Obama’s health care law is unconstitutional. And Mitt Romney danced around an attempt to learn why he stayed largely mum on the epic debt limit standoff between Obama and Congress. The first big GOP debate of the primary season brought viewers a flurry of claims and counterclaims, not all built on solid ground…. – AP, 8-12-11

The Ames Republican debate transcript: Everything they said that you missed — LAT, 8-13-11

Ames presidential debate: Winners and losers: The Washinton Post names Romney, Bachmann and Paul were among the winners.

BACHMANN: Spoke of “the unconstitutional individual mandate” several times, a reference to a requirement for people to carry health insurance, a central element of the 2010 federal health care law.
THE FACTS: Nothing is unconstitutional until courts declare it to be so.

TIM PAWLENTY: “To correct you, I have not questioned Congresswoman Bachmann’s headaches.”
THE FACTS: Pawlenty was hardly dismissive when news came out about Bachmann’s history of severe headaches, even if he did not go after her directly on the matter.

ROMNEY: on the last-minute deal to avert a national debt default: “I’m not going to eat Barack Obama’s dog food, all right? What he served up was not what I would have done if I’d had been president of the United States.”
THE FACTS: Romney was defending himself against criticism that he took a pass when political leadership was most needed in the mighty struggle to negotiate an agreement to raise the debt ceiling.

RICK SANTORUM: “The problem is that we have spending that has exploded. The government’s averaged 18 percent of GDP as the percentage of the overall economy. … And we’re now at almost 25 percent. Revenues are down about 2 or 3 percent. So if you look at where the problem is, the problem is in spending, not taxes.”
THE FACTS: The former Pennsylvania senator might have been mixing statistics on federal spending with federal revenue.

BACHMANN to PAWLENTY: “You said the era of small government was over. That sounds an awful lot like Barack Obama if you ask me.”
THE FACTS: Pawlenty did not declare the era of small government over. (Neither has Obama.)

“If that’s your record of results, please stop, because you’re killing us. Leading and failing is not the objective.” — Gov. Tim Pawlenty

“I believe you can get money wrong, but you can’t get life wrong. It was a choice. The governor put us in that box and I chose to protect human life.” — Rep. Michele Bachmann

Bachmann, Pawlenty challenge each other in debate: Fellow Minnesotans Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann directly challenged each other during Thursday’s GOP debate in Iowa, with Pawlenty calling her a failure and Bachmann likening her Republican competitor to President Barack Obama…. – AP, 8-11-11

GOP debate opens with economic questions: Republican front-runner Mitt Romney says he would have supported a plan by congressional Republicans to cut spending and force a vote on a federal balanced budget amendment to address the nation’s debt crisis…. – AP, 8-11-11

“I’m not going to eat Barack Obama’s dog food. What he served up is not what I would have done if I’d had been president of the United States.” — Mitt Romney

“Iran is not Iceland, Ron. Iran is a country that has been at war with us since 1979. Iran is a country that has killed more American men and women in uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan than the Iraqis and [Afghans] have.” — Rick Santorum

7 Best Moments from the GOP Debate: Bachmann and Pawlenty drop the gloves, Herman Cain talks religion, and Rick Santorum decries the oppression of gays—in Iran. Watch the best moments from the GOP debate…. – The Daily Beast, 8-12-11

FACT CHECK: Republican debate strains some facts: Michele Bachmann cast her opinion as a settled fact when she told the Republican presidential debate Thursday that a key element of President Barack Obama’s health care law is unconstitutional. And Mitt Romney danced around an attempt to learn why he stayed largely mum on the epic debt limit standoff between Obama and Congress.
The first big GOP debate of the primary season brought viewers a flurry of claims and counterclaims, not all built on solid ground.
A look at some of those claims and how they compare with the facts…. – AP, 8-11-11

GOP debate: Hitting hard at each other and Obama: Minnesota rivals Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann sparred bitterly Thursday night during an eight-candidate Republican debate, trying to break out of the GOP presidential pack ahead of an Iowa test vote with huge consequences. Each seeks to become the main challenger to Republican front-runner Mitt Romney.
Their efforts were newly complicated by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who stole some of the spotlight from afar by making it known hours before the debate that he was running for the GOP nomination.
Romney, a multimillionaire businessman who casts himself as a jobs creator, made his own stir earlier in the day when, at the Iowa State Fair, he declared that “corporations are people,” drawing ridicule from Democrats…. – AP, 8-11-11

GOP debate: Romney skates amid Pawlenty, Bachmann slugfest: The Republican presidential debate here Thursday night went about as well as Mitt Romney could have asked for. Despite being the frontrunner for the nomination, Romney largely avoided the slings and arrows of his rivals. … – CBS News, 8-11-11

Pawlenty, Bachmann Square Off Ahead of Iowa Straw Poll: “Minnesota nice” went out the window Thursday when former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann took each other on directly in a manner that clearly suggested each one sees the other as their main obstacle to a strong showing at the Iowa Straw Poll on Saturday…. – PBS Newshour, 8-11-11

Republican Presidential Hopefuls Gather for Debate Before Iowa Straw Poll: Republican presidential rivals went on the attack in a nationally televised debate yesterday, shedding the politeness marking previous forums as they squared off in Iowa before a weekend … – Bloomberg, 8-11-11

GOP debate kicks campaign into new phase: For most of the year, the Republican presidential race has been a listless affair. That changed suddenly Thursday night during a raucous debate that produced the sharpest exchanges of the campaign and signaled a new and more intense phase … – WaPo, 8-11-11

Welcome to the race, Rick! Other candidates tweak absent Perry at Iowa debate: Rick Perry wasn’t on the stage in Ames, Iowa tonight, but he was on the minds — and tongues — of the other Republican … – Houston Chronicle, 8-11-11

Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann exchange blows at Republican debate: The simmering rivalry between Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann erupted at Thursday night’s Republican primary debate here, transforming Iowa’s first 2012 forum into a full-blown slugfest.
The Minnesota duo have been in a low-grade tug of war for months over the affections of Iowa conservatives. With a crucial test looming for both at the Ames straw poll this Saturday, the Pawlenty-Bachmann rivalry turned so intense that it threatened to crowd out the other candidates completely.
The charges were familiar: Pawlenty once again called Bachmann’s accomplishments “nonexistent.” Bachmann wielded well-worn attacks on Pawlenty tenure as governor…. – Politico, 8-11-11

Bachmann asked whether wives should be submissive: The Bible tells wives to be submissive to their husbands. If she were president, would that apply to Michele Bachmann? In Thursday’s Republican debate in Iowa, the Minnesota congresswoman was asked if she would be submissive to her husband… – AP, 8-11-11

Waiting for Bachmann: The debate just came back from the first-hour commercial break, with one podium empty. “Are we actually missing a candidate on the stage?” sked Bret Baier. “We are. Congresswoman Bachmann.” Continue Reading She walked back a minute later…. – Politico, 8-11-11

Fighting for Iowa: With Rick Perry on the verge of entering the presidential contest, there seem for now to be three slots: Romney’s fragile, electable machine; Perry’s conservative challenge; and — at most — one more. Michele Bachmann’s grassroots populism is the most … – Politico, 8-11-11

The Gloves Come Off at Iowa Debate: Fox News anchors are testing the microphones. Reporters have assembled in a cavernous room with hundreds of folding tables and chairs. Senior aides to the candidates are finishing up their efforts at pre-debate spin.
Television viewers will tune in to Thursday night’s debate promptly at 9 Eastern time, but the highly orchestrated media event began several hours ago.
Fox News and the Iowa Republican Party are hosting the third Republican debate of this campaign season at Stephens Auditorium on the grounds of Iowa State University. The reporters — hundreds have been issued credentials — are at the next-door Hilton Coliseum…. – NYT, 8-11-11

Pawlenty ends 2012 GOP bid: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced Sunday morning that he is stepping out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination, after a disappointing finish in the Iowa straw poll.
“We cannot envision a path forward to victory and so therefore we made a decision to end the campaign,” he said in an early-morning conference call to supporters.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty Quitting Repubican Presidential Race: Tim Pawlenty, the former governor Minnesota, dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential race on Sunday.
Mr. Pawlenty told supporters on a conference call Sunday morning that he would announce later in the day that he was ending his campaign after a disappointing finish in the Iowa straw poll on Saturday. The poll was a test of organizational strength and popularity in the state whose caucuses lead off the nomination fight.
Mr. Pawlenty had struggled to gain traction in Iowa, a state he had said he must win, after laying the groundwork for a campaign for nearly two years. He’s been eclipsed in polls in recent months by his Minnesota rival, Representative Michele Bachmann. She topped the straw poll on Saturday…. – NYT, 8-14-11

“We needed to get some lift to continue on and have a pathway forward and that didn’t happen, so I’m announcing on your show that I’m ending my campaign for president.
I wish it would have been different, but obviously the pathway forward for me doesn’t really exist, so we’re going to end the campaign.
I’m doing this because I love this country and I want to defeat Barack Obama because I think he’s got it on the wrong course, but I don’t get my identity or my sense of worth or my values or my faith from politics. I get it from my personal faith in God, and I believe in this country, I love this country, I thought I would have been a great president.
Obviously, we had some success raising money, but we needed to continue that, and Ames was a benchmark for that. And if we didn’t do well in Ames, we weren’t going to have the fuel to keep the car going down the road. But also, there’s a lot of other choices in the race. And for me, what I brought forward I thought was a rational, established, credible, strong record of results, based on experience governing — a two-term governor of a blue state. But I think the audience, so to speak, was looking for something different.” — Tim Pawlenty announcing he is ending Presidential bid on ABC’s “This Week” with Jack Tapper

Pawlenty Drops Out of Republican Race: Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, dropped his bid for the Republican nomination for president on Sunday morning, saying his disappointing performance in Iowa’s straw poll convinced him that his campaign had run its course…. – NYT, 8-14-11

Pawlenty Drops 2012 Presidential Bid: Tim Pawlenty announced an end to his presidential candidacy Sunday after what he called a “disappointing” third place finish in the Ames, Iowa, straw poll. The former Minnesota governor said he had hoped to get a jolt from the preference poll… – Fox News, 8-14-11

Tim Pawlenty ends presidential campaign: Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty said today he will end his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination. Pawlenty informed his supporters in a conference call and then announced his decision on ABC’s This Week. … – USA Today, 8-14-11

Pawlenty to quit 2012 presidential race: Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty is ending his bid for the Republican nomination for president, he told about 75 supporters on an early morning conference call from Iowa on Sunday…. – WaPo, 8-14-11

Republican Tim Pawlenty ends White House bid: The former governor of Minnesota ends his bid for the GOP nomination after a disapppointing third place finish in the Iowa Straw Poll…. – LAT, 8-14-11

Tim Pawlenty Exits 2012 Presidential Race After Poor Iowa Showing: Tim Pawlenty made headlines Sunday but not the sort he was hoping to. He announced on ABC News This Week that he has dropped out of the hunt for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination after coming in a disappointing third in the Iowa’s Ames Straw Poll…. – NPR (blog), 8-14-11

Cain: Pawlenty ‘doubleddown’ in Iowa: GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain said former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty put a huge effort into a strong showing in Saturday’s Iowa straw poll and lost that gamble. Pawlenty pulled out of the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination…. – Politico, 8-14-11

Former Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty drops out of GOP presidential race; finished 3rd: Hours after finishing third at the Iowa straw poll, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is quitting the GOP presidential race. Pawlenty told supporters on a conference call Sunday morning that he would formally announce he’s withdrawing … New York Daily News, 8-14-11

Pawlenty: No fuel for the car: Martin and Cogan report: After spending much of his money to finish a distant third in the Ames Straw Poll, Tim Pawlenty ended his presidential bid Sunday. “We needed to get some lift to continue on and have a pathway forward and that didn’t happen.”… – Politico, 8-14-11

Tim Pawlenty leaving presidential race: After spending much of his money to finish a distant third in the Ames straw poll, Tim Pawlenty ended his presidential bid Sunday. Pawlenty revealed his decision on an early morning conference call with supporters, an aide told POLITICO…. – Politico, 8-14-11

Tim Pawlenty dropping out of presidential race: Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty speaks during a town hall meeting Monday, May 23, 2011, at the State of Iowa Historical Building in Des Moines, Iowa. Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is dropping out of the presidential race, sources told…. – CBS News, 8-14-11

Pawlenty Withdraws From Race: Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has dropped out of the 2012 race for president, according to the Associated Press. Pawlenty told supporters on a conference call Sunday morning that he would announce on ABC’s “This Week”… – AP, 8-14-11

IN FOCUS: REP. MICHELE BACHMANN WINS IOWA AMES STRAW POLL

Michele Bachmann wins Ames Straw Poll: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) won the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa on Saturday. The straw poll is a key test of organizational strength in the race to run against President Obama, although its winner has not necessarily gone on to win the Iowa caucus or the Republican presidential nomination. Those candidates who underperform in the contest, however, have sometimes dropped out of the primary race soon after competing.

“I want to thank the people of Iowa for this tremendous victory. Together we sent a message that we intend to make President Obama a one-term president. The Iowa Straw Poll was a important first step in what will be a long race for the presidency. Now we turn our attention toward winning the Iowa Caucuses and taking our message of reining in wasteful spending, keeping taxes low, growing our economy and creating jobs to the people of New Hampshire, South Carolina and all 50 states.” Rep. Michele Bachmann following the announcement of her victory

“It is time to get America working again. That’s why, with the support of my family, and an unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today my candidacy for president of the United States.” — Texas Governor Rick Perry

Representative Michele Bachmann Tops Iowa Straw Poll: Michele Bachmann’s high-intensity, Tea Party-inspired critique of President Obama propelled her to a first-place finish in the straw poll in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, giving her presidential campaign a boost as the field of rivals expanded to include Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Mrs. Bachmann bested an incomplete collection of her presidential rivals in a nonbinding, early test of political organization in the state that will hold the first presidential voting early next year.
Representative Ron Paul of Texas came in second on the strength of his appeals for radically smaller government, a pullout of troops from American wars and stronger efforts to reduce the country’s debt.
Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, came in a distant third after struggling for weeks to create the kind of political buzz that could provide momentum for his candidacy…. – NYT, 8-13-11

Bachmann Victorious in Iowa Straw Poll; Paul Places Second: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann took her surging candidacy to a new level by taking first place in the straw poll with 4,823 votes. Texas Rep. Ron Paul came in a very close second with 4,671 votes. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty placed a distant third with 2,293 votes…. – PBS Newshour, 8-13-11

Bachmann talks like a front-runner: ‘It’s on to all 50 states': Newly minted Ames Straw Poll winner Michele Bachmann is already sounding like a front-runner – saying her win is the “first step” on the road to the White House…. – CNN, 8-13-11

Bachmann wins Iowa straw poll as Perry jumps in: Bachmann narrowly won the Iowa straw poll in a contest that dealt a major setback to third- place finisher Tim Pawlenty. The events of Saturday marked the opening of an accelerating chapter in a 2012 GOP campaign that has been slow to take shape…. – WaPO, 8-13-11

Iowa’s Straw Poll Suicide: Ames Now Irrelevant: With Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul leading the Ames Straw Poll and Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain next — ahead of Rick Perry and Mitt Romney — only the local buttermilk cows should be holding their heads high…. – The Atlantic, 8-13-11

‘History was made': Agile internet fundraiser Michele Bachmann, within two hours of her win, sent a fundraising email to her list off the fact that “history was made today in Iowa” at the Ames Straw Poll. The historic element was that she was the first woman ever to win…. – Politico, 8-13-11

Perry, Bachmann galvanize Republicans in US race: Popular Texas Governor Rick Perry hurdled into the forefront of the Republican White House race, overshadowing Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann’s victory in a telling early poll…. – AFP, 8-13-11

Rick Perry arrives to excited crowd in New Hampshire: Rick Perry touched down in New Hampshire late Saturday for his first official campaign stop, hours after kicking off his presidential campaign, and fielded questions from the delighted crowd at a house party with ease…. – Politico, 8-13-11

Perry Releases New Campaign Video: On the heels of his official presidential announcement, Rick Perry has unveiled a new, two-minute campaign video. The biographical video describes the governor of Texas as “America’s jobs governor.”… – NYT, 8-13-11

Iowa GOP straw poll: The power of not being there: This year’s Iowa Republican straw poll was largely defined by the man who wasn’t there, Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Inside the Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, one candidate after another vowed to make Barack Obama a one-term president…. – Kansas City Star, 8-13-11

Sarah Palin casts shadow over Rick Perry, Iowa Straw Poll: The biggest draw at the Iowa State Fair on Friday wasn’t the butter cow. It was a human magnet named Sarah Palin…. – Sacramento Bee, 8-13-11

Iowa straw poll wins rarely lead to big time: It was a big day in Iowa for people who will not be president. Michele Bachmann crushed at the Ames straw poll, and Ron Paul came in a strong second. If history is any guide, that means neither candidate will make it to the White House. The man who many Republicans think will win the nomination was half a country away. In South Carolina, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced that he is running for president.
The two poles of energy in the Republican race highlighted the tension that faces the party: between sending a message to Washington and sending a candidate who can win an election. All parties face this tension, but it is particularly acute for the Republican Party at the moment. President Barack Obama is weak, which means a Republican candidate could appeal to independents who have soured on Obama. At the same time, Tea Party activists–who give the party its power and energy and who have reshaped politics in Washington–alienate those same independent voters…. – CBS News, 8-13-11

IN FOCUS: TEXAS GOV. RICK PERRY ANNOUNCES HE IS RUNNING FOR THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION

Rick Perry launches his 2012 presidential bid: Texas Gov. Rick Perry officially declared his presidential candidacy Saturday, telling a crowd in the key primary state of South Carolina that he will run for the nomination to challenge President Obama in 2012.
“I do not accept the path that America is on…Because a renewed nation needs a renewed president. It is time to get America working again,” Perry told the cheering crowd. “I declare to you today as a candidate for president of the United States of America.”
Perry formally announced his intentions to attendees of a conference run by the conservative blog RedState.
Perry’s speech, coming on the same day Republicans in Ames, Iowa cast the first votes of the GOP nomination contest, is the start of a campaign launch that includes a stop in New Hampshire later Saturday and then several days of events in the Hawkeye State starting Sunday.

“I came to South Carolina because I will not sit back and accept the path that America is on, because a great country requires a better direction, because a renewed nation needs a new president…. With the support of my family and unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today as a candidate for president of the United States.” — Texas Gov. Rick Perry

“It’s time to get America working again…. Page one of any economic plan to get American working is to give a pink slip to the current residents in the White House….
This sure doesn’t feel like a recovery. Recovery is a meaningless word if the bank has foreclosed on your home….
America is not broken, Washington, D.C. is broken….
There is no taxpayer money that wasn’t first earned by the sweat and toil of one of our citizens.” — Texas Gov. Rick Perry

Texas Gov. Perry jumps into 2012 Republican race: Texas Gov. Rick Perry joined the 2012 GOP race for president Saturday with an announcement sure to reverberate halfway across the country as his rivals competed in Iowa for the support of party activists. “I full well believe I’m going to win.”… – AP, 8-13-11

Texas Governor Perry launches 2012 presidential bid: Rick Perry, the conservative governor of Texas, declared himself a candidate for president on Saturday, shaking up the race for the Republican nomination to face Democratic President Barack Obama…. – Reuters, 8-13-11

Rick Perry Enters G.O.P. Race for President: Gov. Rick Perry of Texas announced Saturday that he was running for president, declaring it was “time to get America working again” as he sought to offer the Republican Party a well-rounded candidate who appeals to fiscal conservatives and can also rally the evangelical base.
As many of his fellow candidates flooded Iowa over the weekend to woo voters at the Ames Straw Poll, Mr. Perry headed here to announce that he was seeking the nomination at the RedState Gathering, an annual convention of conservative bloggers….. Mr. Perry, 61, whose spectral presence has lingered over the Republican primary contest — he was even the topic of a question at Thursday night’s Republican debate in Iowa — officially became a candidate for the Republican nomination…. – NYT, 8-13-11

Election 101: 11 questions about Rick Perry and his White House bid: James Richard Perry wants to hang his cowboy hat in the White House. The Texas governor announced Saturday at a campaign stop in South Carolina that he was running for president. He was also traveling later in the day to New Hampshire, and planned a visit to Iowa…. – CS Monitor, 8-13-11

Rick Perry joins 2012 race: Texas Gov. Rick Perry launched his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in Charleston, South Carolina Saturday, scrambling the GOP field from afar on the same day Iowans were casting ballots in the Ames Straw Poll…. – Politico, 8-13-11

Texas Gov. Rick Perry declares GOP presidential bid: Scrambling the field of Republican hopefuls vying to replace President Obama, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his bid for the White House Saturday, arguing that America could not afford four more years of Barack Obama…. – LAT, 8-13-11

Perry Says He’s Running for President: Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Saturday that he was running for president, a move that recasts the GOP nominating contest with the addition of a tough campaigner and proven fund-raiser to an unusually unsettled field. … – WSJ, 8-13-11

With broad attack on Obama, Texan Rick Perry enters GOP fray: After more than a decade as his state’s longest serving governor, Texan Rick Perry moved onto the national political stage Saturday by declaring his entry into the 2012 presidential race, immediately transforming the scramble for the Republican nomination…. – Kansas City Star, 8-13-11

“Governor Perry’s economic policies are a carbon copy of the economic policies of Washington Republicans. He pledged to support the cut cap and balance plan that would preserve subsidies for oil and gas companies and tax cuts for the wealthiest while ending Medicare as we know it, eroding Social Security, eliminating hundreds of thousands of jobs and erasing investments in education and research and development. That’s the same approach he took in Texas, where middle class families know his economic record is no miracle – it’s a tall tale. Governor Perry allowed special interests to write their own rules, hired corporate lobbyists to oversee corporations, and cut funding for programs that would create opportunity for middle class families. In a Republican field that has already pledged allegiance to the Tea Party and failed to present any plan that will benefit the middle class or create the jobs America needs to win the future, Governor Perry offers more of the same.” — Obama Campaign

Barack Obama camp blasts Rick Perry’s record as ‘tall tale': The Obama campaign is out with a tough statement on Rick Perry’s campaign launch, accusing the Texas governor of telling a “tall tale” about his record on job growth and economic expansion, and previewing a line of attack on Perry’s close relationships…. – Politico, 8-13-11

Rick Perry’s entry sets up a clarifying contrast: Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s entry into the presidential race puts into especially sharp focus the clash of visions between Republicans and President Obama over the proper role of government.
In Perry and the state he has led for more than a decade, Republican voters are being offered the Platonic ideal of the GOP model for economic growth — low taxes, scant regulation and limited public services…. – WaPo, 8-13-11

IN FOCUS: TEXAS GOV. RICK PERRY WILL ANNOUNCE HE IS RUNNING FOR THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION ON SATURDAY

Texas Governor Rick Perry will officially announce that he is running for the Republican Presidential nomination on Saturday in South Carolina

“He said, ‘You’ll do what’s right.’ He said, you don’t want to wake up when you’re 70 and go, ‘I wish I had tried that. I wish I had done that.'” — Gov. Rick Perry Perry of a June conversation with former president George W. Bush

“I’ve got a record. And that record, particularly when it comes to the most important issues in this campaign, which is creating the climate of America that gives incentives to job creators to risk their capital and create jobs for our citizens, I will put that up against anybody who’s running and particularly against this President we have today, whose jobs record is abysmal.” — Gov. Rick Perry

“This country’s begging for someone to lay out a vision of hope–real hope–and get America back working again….
I’ll put that record up against anybody that’s running, either on the Republican side or the Democratic side…. If you just want to look at the track record of when Mitt was the governor of Massachusetts versus my years being the governor of Texas, mine doesn’t need any propping up….
My hope is that in four years, people can take a look at what we’ve done in Washington, D.C., and they know that I’ve made Washington, D.C. less consequential in their lives” — Rick Perry in an interview Thursday with New Hampshire television station WMUR

Q&A: Rick Perry Is Ready to Run: Rick Perry is primed to announce his bid for the Republican presidential nomination on Saturday in South Carolina. TIME’s Mark Halperin caught up with the Texas governor in Austin and asked him about his feelings on a White House run, his conservative credentials and his rumored rocky relationship with the Bushes. Lightly edited highlights from their conversation follow…. – Time, 8-11-11

Perry near top of pack in GOP nomination battle: According to a CNN/ORC International poll, 15 percent of Republicans and independents who lean towards the GOP pick Perry as their first choice for their party’s nomination, just two points behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who’s making his second bid for the White House. Romney’s two point margin over Perry is within the survey’s sampling error …
The survey indicates that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who is making his third bid for the White House, are at 12 percent apiece. CNN, 8-11-11

Rick Perry strong in primary, weak in general election, poll finds: Rick Perry is just 3 percentage points out of first place in the GOP presidential primary, according to a McClatchy-Marist poll released this week. The national survey found Perry with 18 percent support, versus 21 percent for current front-runner Mitt Romney…. – Politico, 8-11-11

Before Declaring Rick Perry Polls 2nd: A key reason for Perry being the weakest opponent is that he’s weakest among independents.
Obama led Romney among independents by 41-35, a 6-percentage-point lead. The president led Pawlenty among the pivotal voting bloc by 49-37, a 12-point edge. Obama led Bachmann among independents by 46-34, also a 12-point advantage, and Perry by 49-30, a 19-point lead…. – McClatchy Newspapers, 8-9-11

Rick Perry May Challenge Mitt Romney’s Frontrunner Status: Texas Governor Rick Perry will seek the Republican presidential nomination. Mark Miner, Perry’s spokesman, confirmed Perry’s presidential intentions. “He will make a definitive announcement on Saturday for the race,” Miner said. However, when Perry’s spokesman was pressed to confirm the Texas Governor’s entry into the 2012 presidential race, he said “yes.”… – The State Column, 8-11-11

Perry to announce WH bid Saturday, reports say: Sounds like Rick Perry is still trying to take some attention from the happenings in Iowa. Hours before the big Republican debate in Ames tonight, Perry’s people are putting out the word that the Texas governor will indeed announce he is seeking the presidency in a speech at the Red State gathering in South Carolina on Saturday…. – USA Today, 8-11-11

CNN: Texas Gov. Rick Perry running for president: Texas Gov. Rick Perry will announce Saturday in South Carolina that he is running for president a Republican familiar with the plans told CNN. Previous reports had indicated that Perry would use a speech at the conservative Red State Gathering in South Carolina… – CNN, 8-11-11

CNN Poll: Perry Among the GOP Frontrunners: He’s not yet an official candidate, but a new CNN/ORC poll indicates that Texas Gov. Rick Perry is among the frontrunners for the GOP nomination. The poll, coming as GOP hopefuls convene in Ames, Iowa for a pivotal debate ahead of the Iowa straw poll…. – U.S. News & World Report, 8-11-11

Rick Perry on running for president: ‘This is what I’m supposed to be doing': On the same day many of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination will compete in the Iowa Straw Poll, Texas Gov. Rick Perry will officially declare his candidacy Saturday, ending weeks of speculation…. – WaPo, 8-11-11

Texas Governor Perry to run for president: report: Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks during the 2011 Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana June 18, 2011. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Texas Governor Rick Perry will announce on Saturday that he will run for the 2012 Republican nomination … – Reuters, 8-11-11

Its offical (sort of): Spokesman says Rick Perry is indeed running for president: We know this will shock you, but Rick Perry is running for president. After three months of deliberation, the Texas governor is a “go,” our Austin bureau colleague Peggy Fikac reports. Of course, it’s been the worst-kept secret in Texas for weeks. … – Houston Chronicle, 8-11-11

Exclusive: Gov. Rick Perry’s All In: Texas Gov. Rick Perry will make “a definitive announcement that he is in the 2012 race for the presidency Saturday,” aides told Fox News. The language is significant…. – Fox News, 8-11-11

Perry to announce presidential run Sat.: reports: Texas Gov. Rick Perry will announce on Saturday in South Carolina that he is running for president, reports said Thursday. Reports cited Perry’s spokesman saying the Republican governor will seek the Republican Presidential nomination…. – CBS MarketWatch, 8-11-11

Texas Gov. Rick Perry Jumps In Presidential Race: After months of speculation and prodding by Republicans, Texas Governor Rick Perry has officially entered the 2012 race. His spokesman, Mark Miner, told the Associated Press today that Perry is running for president. Perry will deliver a speech at the Red State gathering in South Carolina… — ABC News, 8-11-11

Bachmann, Perry to cross paths in Iowa as Texas governor makes debut trip in Iowa: Republican Michele Bachmann isn’t ceding ground in her Iowa birthplace to possible presidential rival Rick Perry. Bachmann announced Thursday that she will appear at a GOP fundraiser in Waterloo on Sunday, the same event that … – WaPo, 8-11-11

Iowa website adds Perry to campaign tracker: IowaPolitics.com keeps a handy tally of how much time Republican presidential hopefuls have spent in the state that opens the primary season, and there’s a new face on the list: Gov. Rick Perry…. – Austin American-Statesman, 8-11-11

Perry: I’m ‘supposed to’ run for president: Texas Gov. Rick Perry has decided he wants to be president and received advice from former President George W. Bush before reaching his conclusion, according to a new interview with TIME’s Mark Halperin…. – CNN, 8-11-11

Perry begins to fill in the blanks: Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is about to take the plunge into the presidential race. There are, as with any candidate who’s not well known on the national stage, multiple questions. Can he debate? Does he have some policy chops? … – WaPo, 8-11-11

Texas Gov. Rick Perry banks on high-dollar donors: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, poised to enter the presidential race this weekend, is a fundraising powerhouse who has relied on a cadre of Republican mega-donors to collect more than $100 million for his three gubernatorial campaigns, state records show…. – USA Today, 8-11-11

Perry to focus on jobs: Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who’s set to announce his presidential bid Saturday, laid out his stance on one of the country’s top concerns: job creation. “This country’s begging for someone to lay out a vision of hope–real hope–and get … — CNN, 8-11-11

Texas Governor Rick Perry to enter race for 2012 Republican nomination for President: Rick Perry’s entry into the GOP’s 2012 field is likely to reshape the contest for the nomination, experts say. Which GOP candidate would you like to see win the nomination? Texas Governor Rick Perry, a staunch conservative with a Washington outsider’s … – New York Daily News,8-11-11

Rick Perry’s path to the presidency: Ten steps on the road to 1600 Pennsylvania: After nearly three months of public posturing and private deliberation, Texas Gov. Rick Perry is finally a presidential candidate. A spokesman this afternoon confirmed the worst-kept secret in Texas: Perry will jump into a wide-open Republican race … – Houston Chronicle, 8-11-11

GOP insiders say Perry should do well in South Carolina: Texas Gov. Rick Perry will reshuffle the deck for Republican voters Saturday when he announces he is running for president during a visit to Charleston, SC “He’s the 800-pound gorilla who changes the whole makeup of the race,” said Dave Woodard, a Clemson University political scientist and sometimes Republican consultant. “There’s been such a ho-hum reaction to the (GOP) candidates so far. S.C. voters have been waiting for someone else to jump in.”… – Bellingham Herald, 8-11-11

2012 campaign: Rick Perry, a Fred Thompson redux?: We all may remember (or, more likely, most of us don’t) Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee who polled so well as a non-candidate that he belatedly jumped into the 2007-08 GOP primary race. Thompson’s campaign quickly stalled…. – LAT, 8-11-11

IN FOCUS: RICK PERRY INTENDS TO MAKE PRESIDENTIAL INTENTION CLEAR ON SATURDAY

Rick Perry to Make Clear That He Intends to Run for President: Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is preparing to make clear his intentions to join the Republican presidential race on Saturday, two associates said, by visiting South Carolina and New Hampshire on the same day that several of his potential rivals are taking part in the Iowa Straw Poll.
Mr. Perry, who has been inching closer to declaring his candidacy for weeks, is expected to stop short of making a formal announcement. But appearing before Republican crowds in the two early-voting states was intended to clear up any lingering questions about his plans…. – NYT, 8-8-11

“With President Obama’s dismal economic record and Texas’ success in creating jobs and balancing our budget, Governor Perry continues to consider a potential run for The White House…. Stay tuned.” — Mark Miner, a spokesman for Gov. Rick Perry, who declined to elaborate on the timing of any announcement

“There is still a thirst for another voice to come in. They are looking for the kind of leadership he has shown in Texas, while the country has gone the other direction.” — Craig Schoenfeld, an Iowa Republican who is leading a group here called Americans for Perry, which has been signing up supporters for the governor.

Perry Signals Intent to Enter Race, Sending a Jolt to GOP Candidates: Gov. Rick Perry of Texas delivered a long-distance jolt to the Republican presidential campaign on Monday by signaling that he intends to join the race and visit South Carolina and New Hampshire on Saturday, the same day his rivals are battling for survival in the Iowa Straw Poll…. — NYT, 8-8-11

Rick Perry to make 2012 intentions clear Saturday: Rick Perry intends to use a speech in South Carolina on Saturday to make clear that he’s running for president, POLITICO has learned.
According to two sources familiar with the plan, the Texas governor will remove any doubt about his White House intentions during his appearance at a RedState conference in Charleston.
It’s uncertain whether Saturday will mark a formal declaration, but Perry’s decision to disclose his intentions the same day as the Ames straw poll — and then hours later make his first trip to New Hampshire — will send shock waves through the race and upend whatever results come out of the straw poll…. – Politico, 8-8-11

Rick Perry to affirm plans for presidential bid: Texas’ GOP governor will probably signal his intentions Saturday in South Carolina before heading to a party in New Hampshire, another primary state. His plans will coincide with Iowa’s straw poll…. – LAT, 8-8-11

Perry expected to reveal White House plans Saturday: While a host of 2012 contenders slug it out in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to inch closer to a presidential run in another critical primary state. Perry expected to use his speech at the 2011 Red State Gathering in Charleston, SC to make it clear whether or not he will run for president, according to a report in Politico this afternoon. … – USA Today, 8-8-11

Busy schedule is clear sign of Perry’s political intentions, aides say: Gov. Rick Perry appears to be bounding toward a full-scale plunge into the 2012 presidential race with visits to two early battleground states later this week, where he is likely to tout Texas’ robust economic growth … – Fort Worth Star Telegram, 8-8-11

Perry prepares to launch campaign he promised wouldn’t happen: Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential campaign is now upon us. He’s going to the early primary states of South Carolina and New Hampshire on Saturday, and by the end of the day, it will be more obvious than ever that he will seek the presidency. … – Austin American-Statesman, 8-8-11

Politico: Perry to make clear hes running for president in S.C.: Gov. Rick Perry plans to “make clear” that he’s in the presidential race Saturday in Charleston, South Carolina, when he’s due to give a long-scheduled speech to the RedState conference, Politico is reporting. Perry’s office earlier confirmed… – Houston Chronicle, 8-8-11

As Rick Perry Nears 2012 Campaign, His Top Adviser Plots A ‘New Playbook’ Strategy: A top adviser to Texas Gov. Rick Perry was cagey about reports that Perry will make his intentions to run for president clear at a Saturday conference in South Carolina, but an organizer of the event said he expects an announcement … – Huffington Post

THE HEADLINES: WEEKLY RECAP

“I believe in a very limited role for government. But the prime reason that government exists in a free society is to protect liberty, but also to protect life. And I mean all life. You cannot have relative value for life and deal with that. We cannot play God and make those decisions. All life is precious.” — Rep. Ron Paul

Once a fringe candidate, Paul shaping 2012 race: Ron Paul, once seen as a fringe candidate and a nuisance to the establishment, is shaping the 2012 Republican primary by giving voice to the party’s libertarian wing and reflecting frustration with the United States’ international entanglements…. – AP, 8-14-11

Bachmann says she’s a proven leader: A day after winning a test poll of voters in Iowa, Rep. Michele Bachmann is seeking to distinguish herself from another tea party favorite and GOP presidential hopeful, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas…. – AP, 8-14-11

“I wish it would have been different. But obviously the pathway forward for me doesn’t really exist so we are going to end the campaign.
What I brought forward, I thought, was a rational, established, credible, strong record of results, based on experience governing — a two-term governor of a blue state. But I think the audience, so to speak, was looking for something different.” — Gov. Tim Pawlenty said on ABC’s “This Week” from Iowa

Ex-Minn. Gov. Tim Pawlenty ends White House bid: Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination on Sunday, hours after finishing a disappointing third in the Iowa straw poll…. – AP, 8-14-11

“We are going to make Barack Obama a one-term president… There is no doubt in my mind we are the team that can’t be beat in 2012….
This is the very first step toward taking back the White House!” — Rep. Michele Bachmann

Perry’s Full-Court Press to Get Donations: The Texas governor is already promising his top donors perks for a Republican National Convention that will not be held for more than a year…. – NYT, 8-14-11

Iowa Poll Goes to Bachmann; Paul Is Second: The results of the straw poll represented a turning point in the campaign but also underscored an uncertainty in the Republican contest to find a presidential nominee…. – NYT, 8-13-11

Bachmann wins GOP 2012 test vote: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won a test vote of Iowans on Saturday, a show of popularity and organizational strength for the tea party favorite five months before the state’s caucuses kick off the GOP presidential nominating season.
The result is the first indication of what Iowans think of the field of Republicans competing for the chance to challenge President Barack Obama next fall. But it’s hardly predictive of who will win the winter Iowa contest, much less the party nod or the White House…. – AP, 8-13-11

Rick Perry Officially Joins Race for President: Rick Perry’s entrance into the already crowded presidential field is expected to reconfigure the race’s dynamics, offering Republicans both a fiscal and social conservative…. – NYT, 8-13-11

“It is time to get America working again. We just got to get back to the basic truths of economic success…. I full well believe I’m going to win.
We reject this president’s unbridled fixation on taking more money out of the wallets and pocketbooks of American families and employers and giving it to a central government. I will not sit back and accept the path that America is on. Because a great country requires a better direction. Because a renewed nation needs a new president. — Gov. Rick Perry

2012 GOP race jolted with straw poll, Perry entry: The 2012 Republican presidential race lurched into a new phase Saturday as Iowans weighed in for the first time on their expanding field of presidential hopefuls, picking Michele Bachmann as their top choice for the GOP nomination. Halfway across the country latecomer Texas Gov. Rick Perry formally entered the race, declaring: “America is not broken. Washington, D.C. is broken.”… – AP, 8-13-11

G.O.P. Candidates Jockey for Advantage Before Iowa Straw Poll: A half-dozen Republican presidential hopefuls sought attention Friday on the eve of the Iowa straw poll, a ritual that has taken on outsize meaning…. – NYT, 8-13-11

Pawlenty targets Obama in sharp rhetorical attack: Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty isn’t holding back on his criticism of President Barack Obama.
The former Minnesota governor describes Obama as being “like a manure spreader in a windstorm.”… – AP, 8-13-11

“We don’t see the role of government as guaranteeing outcomes, but allowing free men and women to flourish based on their own vision, their hard work and their personal responsibility….
The fact is for nearly three years President Obama has been downgrading American jobs. He’s been downgrading our standing in the world. He’s been downgrading our financial stability. He’s been downgrading our confidence, and downgrading the hope for a better future for our children. One in six work-eligible Americans cannot find a full-time job. That is not a recovery. That is an economic disaster.
“I intend to compete for every vote in every state. This isn’t a strategy just to go work in a few places. I’m going to be all across this country.” — Gov. Rick Perry

Texas Gov. Perry jumps into 2012 Republican race: Texas Gov. Rick Perry officially joined the Republican presidential race Saturday with a full-throated promise to reduce the role of the federal government, saying his goal as president would be to make Washington “as inconsequential in your lives as I can.”
Speaking to voters here and later in New Hampshire, the Texan cast himself as a Washington outsider who would restore fiscal responsibility at home and U.S. “exceptionalism” in the world…. – AP, 8-13-11

“We come at this campaign from the private sector, from having been a successful governor and also someone who understands the world in which we live, and I think that’s going to be important to people. You don’t wait till the very end, as Gov. Romney did, and put your finger to the wind and basically come down on the safe side politically. I don’t think that’s leadership. The presidency is about exerting leadership, and if you’re not willing to show leadership on something as important as the debt ceiling, it begs the question, When are you going to show some leadership?” — Gov. Jon Huntsman

Huntsman, Romney leave rest of field in Iowa: Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman had New Hampshire to themselves Friday while the rest of the field remained in Iowa and much of the attention remained focused Rick Perry’s entrance into the race.
Though both Romney and Huntsman will be on the ballot at Saturday’s Iowa straw poll, neither has competed aggressively there. After Thursday’s debate in Ames, they quickly headed to New Hampshire, positioning themselves in front of voters and activists before Perry swoops in for the first time on Saturday…. – AP, 8-12-11

Romney defends corporation comment in NH: Mitt Romney says his recent comment in Iowa that “corporations are people” was not a mistake.
Speaking to reporters after a New Hampshire reception Friday night, the former Massachusetts governor said it was astonishing that President Barack Obama doesn’t feel the same way…. – AP, 8-12-11

“We cannot and must not endure four more years of rising unemployment, rising taxes, rising debt and rising energy dependence on nations that intend us harm.” — Gov. Rick Perry is to say Saturday in Charleston, S.C., according to remarks prepared for delivery.

Instant GOP contender: Perry announcing Saturday: Months behind other GOP candidates, Rick Perry has something most of them don’t: Buzz. The Texas governor will enter the race Saturday with splashy appearances in South Carolina and New Hampshire.
At the same time, he is putting together what looks a lot like a traditional presidential campaign. The path he hopes will lead to the Republican nomination starts here, in the leadoff caucus state of Iowa, with a message of jobs and values as he tries to set himself apart from GOP front-runner Mitt Romney…. – AP, 8-12-11

Romney’s wealth endures but conflicts persist: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s personal wealth — up to $250 million — survived the nation’s economic crisis, according to figures released Friday. But his pledge to sell off interests that conflict with his GOP stances did not extend to some investments in a family charity…. – AP, 8-12-11

“There is still a whole world of work to be done in Washington, D.C., and we need to send truly fiscal conservatives to Washington to get it done.” — Gov. Rick Perry

Iowa test could make or break Pawlenty, Bachmann: Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, their presidential hopes on the line, made last-minute appeals Friday along with a slew of other Republican contenders ahead of a big weekend test in Iowa that could winnow the large field of GOP candidates. But the pack was expanding, too.
Saturday’s Iowa Straw Poll results will be the first important measure of the GOP pack — just as Texas Gov. Rick Perry officially makes it a bit larger and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin works energetically to keep her door open…. – AP, 8-12-11

“We find it troubling that the party so closely associated with basic human rights would choose a state with the lowest unionization rate in the country due to regressive policies aimed at diluting the power of workers.” — Mark Ayers, president of the building trades unit, wrote in a letter to Democratic Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Some unions to skip 2012 convention: About a dozen trade unions all part of the AFL-CIO’s building and construction trades unit plan to sit out the 2012 Democratic convention because they’re angry that it’s being held in a right-to-work state and frustrated that Democrats haven’t done enough to create jobs…. – AP, 8-12-11

Obama adviser questions Perry’s economic successes: Part of Perry’s pitch is the Texas economy, which has fared better than most states during the nation’s economic troubles. Obama senior political adviser David Axelrod says Texas benefited from booming oil prices and increased military spending on two wars. He says, “I don’t think many people would attribute it to the leadership of the governor down there.”…. – AP, 8-12-11

Bachmann wants Congress back to restore credit: Rep. Michelle Bachmann says if she were president, she would immediately call Congress back to Washington with the aim of “getting this AAA credit rating back.”… – AP, 8-12-11

Analysis: Perry may pose biggest threat to Romney: The biggest rumblings in the Republican presidential campaign are coming from Austin, Texas — 1,000 miles from the leadoff caucus state where front-runner Mitt Romney and seven opponents squared off ahead of an important test vote this weekend. Texas Gov. Rick Perry sent word that he would join the race, casting a shadow over the debate Thursday night and threatening to upend the race…. – AP, 8-12-11

8 Republican Candidates Trade Attacks in Iowa Debate: Criticism of President Obama’s record was overshadowed by a burst of incivility among the Republican presidential candidates at a debate on Thursday in Ames, Iowa…. – NYT, 8-11-11

Republican Debate Frames Race Ahead: Six moments that offered a peek into what could be the durable narratives of the 2012 Republican nomination campaign…. – NYT, 8-11-11

Spokesman: Gov. Rick Perry running for president: Texas Gov. Rick Perry is running for president, a spokesman confirmed Thursday, a move certain to shake up the race for the GOP nomination much to the delight of conservatives looking for a candidate to embrace.
Perry spokesman Mark Miner said the governor would make his intentions known on Saturday while visiting South Carolina and New Hampshire just as most of his presidential rivals compete in a test vote in Iowa…. – AP, 8-11-11

GOP debate: Hitting hard at each other and Obama: Minnesota rivals Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann sparred bitterly Thursday night during an eight-candidate Republican debate, trying to break out of the GOP presidential pack ahead of an Iowa test vote with huge consequences. Each seeks to become the main challenger to Republican front-runner Mitt Romney.
Their efforts were newly complicated by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who stole some of the spotlight from afar by making it known hours before the debate that he was running for the GOP nomination…
In the two-hour debate, the squabbling by Pawlenty and Bachmann allowed Romney, the GOP front-runner making his second presidential bid, to remain above the fray and emerge relatively unscathed by his rivals…. – AP, 8-11-11

Five Things to Watch for in Iowa Debate: Eight Republican presidential contenders will debate in Ames, Iowa, on Thursday night, two days before the straw poll there…. – NYT, 8-11-11

Bachmann to Attend Event With Perry: Bachmann will appear at the same event in Iowa Sunday where Perry is making his campaign debut in the state…. – NYT, 8-11-11

Romney’s Covert Iowa Campaign: Mitt Romney will come to Iowa on Wednesday, even as he continues to treat political activity here like an sideshow that he can afford to ignore…. – NYT, 8-10-11

In Iowa, Romney Is Comfortable at the Round Table: Mitt Romney criticized President Obama for a planned bus tour amid an “economic crisis,” but he declined to directly engage Gov. Rick Perry of Texas…. – NYT, 8-10-11

“Wouldn’t it be nice if people in Washington spent a good part of their career working in a real economy?….
For those people who think the economy is what really is essential in providing a brighter future for our families and preserving our values, then I think they are going to look to me as someone who can understand how the economy works and can get it back on track.” — Gov. Mitt Romney

Fragile front-runner: Romney faces big challenges: Mitt Romney, the GOP’s fragile presidential front-runner, faces a string of challenges in the next few days that could knock him down a couple of rungs: a debate where he can expect his rivals to attack him, an attention-drawing straw poll he is bypassing and Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s expected entrance in the race…. – AP, 8-10-11

“Before we put the new person in that office, let’s make sure that he or she is ready for the job. This is a job that requires leadership experience, executive experience and a record of results.” — Gov. Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty knocks Obama, Bachmann in same swipe: Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty said Wednesday that President Barack Obama’s previous jobs as a community organizer and law professor didn’t prepare him for the White House. And, Pawlenty said, Iowa shouldn’t repeat the mistake of voting for another charismatic politician who lacks experience.
It was an obvious reference Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who is leading Pawlenty in polls in a state he has said he must do well in to keep his candidacy alive…. – AP, 8-10-11

Perry to Visit Bachmann’s Hometown in Iowa: Gov. Rick Perry plans to visit Waterloo, Iowa, the day after the state’s straw poll, in which Representative Michelle Bachmann is expected to do well…. – NYT, 8-10-11

Obama surprises campaign volunteers at lunch in DC: Volunteers on President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign have welcomed an unexpected lunch guest: Obama himself.
The president joined the group at Ted’s Bulletin, a new Capitol Hill restaurant that serves classic American food, including burgers and shakes…. – AP, 8-10-11

Barack Obama’s 2012 plan: ‘Kill Romney': Smith and Martin peer ahead at the general election: Barack Obama’s aides and advisers are preparing to center the president’s re-election campaign on a ferocious personal assault on Mitt Romney’s character and business background, a strategy grounded … – Politico, 8-9-11

Bachmann Newsweek Cover Goes for Insult But Gets Criticism in Return: Rep. Michele Bachmann has declined to get into the scrum with Newsweek over its cover story of the presidential candidate called “The Queen of Rage,” accompanied by an unflattering photo of the Minnesota Republican, but others are calling the magazine … – Fox News, 8-9-11

Did Newsweek set out to make Michele Bachmann look like a loon?: Newsweek is coming under fire for a wild-eyed cover photo of Michele Bachmann. The headline calls her the ‘Queen of Rage.’ But was the rough treatment actually a compliment of sorts?… – CS Monitor, 8-9-11

Back on the Stump, Romney Blames Obama for the S&P Downgrade: The Republican candidate, campaigning in New Hampshire after a vacation, defended himself against critics who said he kept on the sidelines in the debt ceiling debate…. – NYT, 8-9-11

Perry seeking to change dynamics of GOP race: Though he’s not officially a candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s visits this weekend to three important presidential nominating states threaten to overshadow any lift his would-be rivals hope to gain from a big week in Iowa…
All candidates — from GOP front-runner Mitt Romney on down — are bracing for a Perry candidacy…. – AP, 8-9-11

Perry Signals Intent to Enter G.O.P. Campaign: Advisers said the Texas governor has moved beyond the trial balloon stage of gauging support to executing a strategy…. – NYT, 8-9-11

Rick Perry to Make Clear He Intends to Run: Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is preparing to make clear his intentions to join the Republican presidential race…. – NYT, 8-8-11

Perry heads to early states as he leans toward bid: Leaning toward a full-fledged presidential run, Texas Gov. Rick Perry will visit at least two early primary states — South Carolina and New Hampshire — on Saturday at the same time most of his would-be opponents are competing in an important test vote in Iowa…. – AP, 8-8-11

“They’re not buying that bill of goods…. The good news is that I think there has been enough frustration at Washington, sort of reached a fevered pitch last week, that we’re now looking at 16 months in which there’s going to be a clear contrast and a clear choice.” — President Barack Obama

Obama sees political opportunity in debt crisis: President Barack Obama says there’s some good news from the bitterly partisan debt debate — it made people so frustrated with Washington that Democrats will be able to draw a clear divide with Republicans heading into the 2012 election…. – AP, 8-8-11

Romney Is Back, With S.&P. Ratings on the Brain: Mr. Romney cited flaws in President Obama’s leadership for the downgrade of the nation’s debt…. – NYT, 8-8-11

Romney shifting campaign into a higher gear: Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign is shifting into a higher gear. The former Massachusetts governor, who leads national and state polls in the race for the GOP nomination, has spent much of the year laying low, limiting his public appearances and rarely weighing in on the national debate…. – AP, 8-8-11

Romney blames Obama for credit downgrade: Mitt Romney says the nation’s credit problem arose because President Barack Obama has failed to show leadership on the economy…. – AP, 8-8-11

“You look at where the marketplace is today, you look at our downgrade, you look at all the economic woes that every American family has seen play out over the past little while — we’ve done this to ourselves. It’s time to reverse this business-unfriendly attitude of the past 2½ years….
“I can only imagine what the marketplace would look like today if we had defaulted on our debt. If we had defaulted on our debt, it would have been catastrophic.” — Gov. Jon Huntsmann

Huntsman faults anti-business climate under Obama: Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman says the downgrade in the nation’s credit rating shows America needs to do something about what he says is the Obama administration’s unfriendly attitude toward business…. -

CAMPAIGN 2012: ANALYSTS &S HISTORIANS COMMENTS

Julian Zelizer: Americans want security for 2012: Just as the 2004 presidential election was all about the concept of security, the same term will shape the campaigns of 2012…. – CNN, 8-15-11

Julian Zelizer: Analysis: Palin boosts political influence, buffers brand: “Like every other Republican who potentially will run, she’s keeping her name out there, keeping her brand name but generally staying out of the debate, to avoid making any mistakes,” said Princeton University professor Julian Zelizer. “At a minimum, she keeps the Palin brand name going for other reasons,” he said…. – Reuters, 8-13-11

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN WINS IOWA AMES STRAW POLL

Michele Bachmann wins Ames Straw Poll: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) won the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa on Saturday. The straw poll is a key test of organizational strength in the race to run against President Obama, although its winner has not necessarily gone on to win the Iowa caucus or the Republican presidential nomination. Those candidates who underperform in the contest, however, have sometimes dropped out of the primary race soon after competing.

“I want to thank the people of Iowa for this tremendous victory. Together we sent a message that we intend to make President Obama a one-term president. The Iowa Straw Poll was a important first step in what will be a long race for the presidency. Now we turn our attention toward winning the Iowa Caucuses and taking our message of reining in wasteful spending, keeping taxes low, growing our economy and creating jobs to the people of New Hampshire, South Carolina and all 50 states.” Rep. Michele Bachmann following the announcement of her victory

“It is time to get America working again. That’s why, with the support of my family, and an unwavering belief in the goodness of America, I declare to you today my candidacy for president of the United States.” — Texas Governor Rick Perry

Representative Michele Bachmann Tops Iowa Straw Poll: Michele Bachmann’s high-intensity, Tea Party-inspired critique of President Obama propelled her to a first-place finish in the straw poll in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, giving her presidential campaign a boost as the field of rivals expanded to include Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. Mrs. Bachmann bested an incomplete collection of her presidential rivals in a nonbinding, early test of political organization in the state that will hold the first presidential voting early next year.
Representative Ron Paul of Texas came in second on the strength of his appeals for radically smaller government, a pullout of troops from American wars and stronger efforts to reduce the country’s debt.
Tim Pawlenty, the former governor of Minnesota, came in a distant third after struggling for weeks to create the kind of political buzz that could provide momentum for his candidacy…. – NYT, 8-13-11

Bachmann Victorious in Iowa Straw Poll; Paul Places Second: Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann took her surging candidacy to a new level by taking first place in the straw poll with 4,823 votes. Texas Rep. Ron Paul came in a very close second with 4,671 votes. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty placed a distant third with 2,293 votes…. – PBS Newshour, 8-13-11

Bachmann talks like a front-runner: ‘It’s on to all 50 states': Newly minted Ames Straw Poll winner Michele Bachmann is already sounding like a front-runner – saying her win is the “first step” on the road to the White House…. – CNN, 8-13-11

Bachmann wins Iowa straw poll as Perry jumps in: Bachmann narrowly won the Iowa straw poll in a contest that dealt a major setback to third- place finisher Tim Pawlenty. The events of Saturday marked the opening of an accelerating chapter in a 2012 GOP campaign that has been slow to take shape…. – WaPO, 8-13-11

Iowa’s Straw Poll Suicide: Ames Now Irrelevant: With Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul leading the Ames Straw Poll and Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain next — ahead of Rick Perry and Mitt Romney — only the local buttermilk cows should be holding their heads high…. – The Atlantic, 8-13-11

‘History was made': Agile internet fundraiser Michele Bachmann, within two hours of her win, sent a fundraising email to her list off the fact that “history was made today in Iowa” at the Ames Straw Poll. The historic element was that she was the first woman ever to win…. – Politico, 8-13-11

Perry, Bachmann galvanize Republicans in US race: Popular Texas Governor Rick Perry hurdled into the forefront of the Republican White House race, overshadowing Tea Party darling Michele Bachmann’s victory in a telling early poll…. – AFP, 8-13-11

Rick Perry arrives to excited crowd in New Hampshire: Rick Perry touched down in New Hampshire late Saturday for his first official campaign stop, hours after kicking off his presidential campaign, and fielded questions from the delighted crowd at a house party with ease…. – Politico, 8-13-11

Perry Releases New Campaign Video: On the heels of his official presidential announcement, Rick Perry has unveiled a new, two-minute campaign video. The biographical video describes the governor of Texas as “America’s jobs governor.”… – NYT, 8-13-11

Iowa GOP straw poll: The power of not being there: This year’s Iowa Republican straw poll was largely defined by the man who wasn’t there, Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Inside the Hilton Coliseum on Saturday, one candidate after another vowed to make Barack Obama a one-term president…. – Kansas City Star, 8-13-11

Sarah Palin casts shadow over Rick Perry, Iowa Straw Poll: The biggest draw at the Iowa State Fair on Friday wasn’t the butter cow. It was a human magnet named Sarah Palin…. – Sacramento Bee, 8-13-11

Iowa straw poll wins rarely lead to big time: It was a big day in Iowa for people who will not be president. Michele Bachmann crushed at the Ames straw poll, and Ron Paul came in a strong second. If history is any guide, that means neither candidate will make it to the White House. The man who many Republicans think will win the nomination was half a country away. In South Carolina, Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced that he is running for president.
The two poles of energy in the Republican race highlighted the tension that faces the party: between sending a message to Washington and sending a candidate who can win an election. All parties face this tension, but it is particularly acute for the Republican Party at the moment. President Barack Obama is weak, which means a Republican candidate could appeal to independents who have soured on Obama. At the same time, Tea Party activists–who give the party its power and energy and who have reshaped politics in Washington–alienate those same independent voters…. – CBS News, 8-13-11